Italy: Economic sentiment eases in August
Latest reading: Economic sentiment came in at 98.4 in August, down from July’s 99.4. Consequently, the index remained below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a muted near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline print reflected worse sentiment in the industrial sector and weaker confidence in the construction and retail sectors. That said, confidence in the services sector strengthened, and sentiment among consumers improved.
Relating to indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations deteriorated, while the economic uncertainty index decreased in August.