In January 2019, the consumer confidence index improved from 113.2 to 114.0. All the components bettered: the economic one from 129.5 to 130.8, the personal one from 107.0 to 108.9, the current one from 110.0 to 112.4 and, finally, the future one from 116.1 to 117.4.
Moving to the business confidence surveys, the composite business confidence climate index (IESI, Istat Economic Sentiment Indicator) weakened passing from 99.7 to 99.2.
The confidence index in manufacturing worsened from 103.4 to 102.1. Assessments on order books and production expectations declined (balance from -9.8 to -10.5 and from 9.4 to 6.8, respectively). With regard to the assessments on inventories, the relative balance changed from 4.6 to 5.1.
The confidence index in construction increased going up from 130.3 to 139.2. Assessments on order books/construction plans worsened (balance from -19.6 to -21.3) while employment expectations, on the contrary, improved (balance from -8.3 to 5.3).
The market services confidence index went down from 99.5 to 98.6. The balances concerning both assessments on order books and on business trend changed for the worse (from 0.3 to -2.2 and from 4.0 to 3.1 respectively) and the expectations on order books improved slightly (balance from 5.1 to 5.8).
The retail trade confidence index diminished from 105.0 to 102.8. Both the assessments on current sales and the expectations on the future ones went down (balances from 8.1 to 5.8 and from 22.4 to 18.0 respectively) while the balance concerning the assessments on volume of stocks remained substantially stable (from 8.1 to 8.2). The confidence index in the large scale distribution and the one in the small and medium scale worsened passing from 106.5 to 104.7, the first and from 101.1 to 100.1, the second.