Italy’s consumer confidence improved in March after declining in the previous month, on the back of stronger economic expectations, while a better assessment of order books boosted the morale in the manufacturing sector for the first time in five months, survey data from the statistical agency ISTAT showed Tuesday.
The consumer confidence index rose to 115.0 from 114.5 in February. The indicator had peaked at 118.6 in January.
The indexes for households’ economic expectations and those for the current conditions and the outlook improved in March, after deteriorating in the previous month.
Meanwhile, the personal conditions index eased slightly, while the measure reflecting the unemployment outlook remained unchanged.
The manufacturing confidence increased in March for the first time since October, rising to 102.2 from 102.0. While order book assessment and inventories improved, production expectations were stable.
However, the overall business confidence index dropped to 100.1 from 103.2 as morale weakened in the construction, market services and retail sectors.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com