Consumer and business confidence

In October 2019, the consumer confidence index decreased slightly from 112.2 to 111.7. With regard to its components: the personal, the current and the future one diminished from 107.8 to 105.4, from 110.0 to 107.9 and from 116.8 to 116.4, respectively, while the economic one bettered from 127.1 to 128.0.

As for the business confidence climate, the index (IESI, Istat Economic Sentiment Indicator) improved slightly passing from 98.6 to 99.0.

The confidence index in manufacturing rose from 99.0 to 99.6. Both the assessments on order books and the expectations on production showed improvement (the related balances moved from -17.4 to -16.2 and from 4.0 to 5.3, respectively). The assessments on inventories passed from 4.1 to 5.0.

The confidence index in construction reduced from 143.2 to 141.3. Both its components changed for the worse: the assessments on order books/construction plans from -13.4 to -13.9 and the employment expectations from 2.6 to 0.6.

The market services confidence index changed for the better, moving from 98.6 to 99.6. More specifically, the expectations on order books and the assessments on business trend went up (the related balances rose from 1.6 to 4.7 the first and from 6.2 to 6.7 the second) while the assessments on order books deteriorated (the balance of the variable lowered from -1.2 to -1.5).

The retail trade confidence index got better from 107.6 to 108.3. Among the series included in the definition of retail climate, the assessments on current sales and the ones on stocks remained substantially stable, while the expectations on future volume of sales showed improvement (the related balances moved from 13.3 to 13.2 the first, from 8.9 to 9.0 the second and, finally, from 25.9 to 28.3 the third). The retail trade confidence index improved in the large scale distribution from 110.4 to 111.5, but deteriorated in the small and medium scale one from 99.7 to 98.9.