Confidence in manufacturing

In January 2011 the seasonally adjusted confidence indicator in manufacturing rose to 103.6 from 103.1 in the previous month. The improvement stemmed from a recovery in production expectations, which came along with virtual stability for stocks of finished products. Differences emerged at sector and geographical level.

According to the quarterly questions on capacity utilisation, in the fourth quarter 2010, the rate of capacity utilisation rose to 72% compared to 71.7% in the previous quarter. The length of production assured by current order books increased at 3 months (2.8 in the previous quarter).