(Teleborsa) – Istat announces that a March 2024 climate index consumer confidence decreases from 97.0 to 96.5 points (against expectations for 97.5 points) while the composite climate indicator business confidence rises from 95.9 to 97.0 points.
The negative evolution of the climate of consumer opinion summarizes the deterioration of both personal climate (from 95.2 to 94.6) and the current one (the index drops from 97.0 to 96.0); the economic climate remains substantially stable (from 102.0 to 101.9) and the future one records a marginal increase (the index goes from 97.1 to 97.2).
With reference to businesses, the confidence index increases in all four economic sectors investigated, albeit with different intensities: the most significant increases were recorded in construction and, above all, in retail trade (from 104.3 to 105 respectively, 8 and from 100.8 to 104.6); in manufacturing and services, more limited growth is estimated (the index rises, in order, from 87.5 to 88.6 and from 100.2 to 100.7).
As for the components of the confidence indices of the economic sectors, in the manufacturing all components are improving; in buildings assessments on the level of orders and/or construction plans that are essentially stable compared to last month are combined with expectations that employment at the company will significantly increase.
Moving on to the sector of market services, an increase is observed in all components with the exception of order expectations which are revised downwards. With reference to retail trade, all variables record a positive dynamic; it should be noted that the confidence index increases in large-scale distribution (from 98.6 to 103.8), while it decreases in traditional distribution (from 109.7 to 108.8).
Based on the opinions provided by entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector on the negative factors that influence theexport (variables recorded quarterly), in the first quarter of 2024 a slight increase in the percentage of companies with export difficulties is estimated.
