Italy: Business sentiment rises in July
The National Institute of Statistics (Istat)’s composite business confidence indicator (Clima di Fiducia delle Imprese Italiane, IESE)—which covers the manufacturing, construction, market services and retail sectors—rose to 101.2 points in July from June’s 99.3 points, marking the best result in nine months.
July’s reading came on the back of a broad-based improvement in almost all the sectors covered by the index. Confidence in the construction sector strengthened on more favorable assessments of order books and construction plans, although employment expectations deteriorated. Moreover, confidence in the market services sector edged up, as assessments of order books and the business trend got rosier, and expectations on future order books improved. Additionally, confidence in the retail trade sector gained ground, benefiting from better assessments of current sales and expectations on future sales. On the other hand, sentiment in the manufacturing sector dropped despite improved production expectations, as assessments on order books worsened.