Consumer and business confidence

In February 2021, the consumer confidence bettered from 100.7 to 101.4. Looking at its components, both the economic climate and the future one improved (from 83.4 to 91.5 the former and from 103.2 to 107.5 the latter), while the personal climate and the current one lowered (from 106.5 to 104.7 and from 99.0 to 97.3, respectively).

As for the business confidence climate, the index (IESI, Istat Economic Sentiment Indicator) continued to improve, passing from 88.3 to 93.2.

The confidence index in manufacturing increased from 95.6 to 99.0. The surveyed firms revised up both the opinions on the order book current trend and the expectations on the future production developments (the related balances recovered from -22.9 to -19.3. and from -1.1 to 3.3, respectively). These results were accompanied also by a decrease of stock level (the balance of the variable got down from 3.2 to 1.6)

The confidence index in construction ameliorated from 138.0 to 141.9. All its components recovered: the balance on the order books/construction from -20.2 to -16.1 and the one on the employment expectations from 2.5 to 3.6.

The market services confidence index rose from 82.2 to 85.7. As regards the variables composing the index, the balance of assessments on order books recovered from -18.6 to -15.6, the one related to business trend from -20.7 to -14.6 and, finally, the one of expectations on order books from -5.0 to -3.3.

The retail trade confidence index got on from 88.3 to 93.8. The confidence improvement was due to the increase of both the current and future business activity balances (more specifically, the first passed from -18.9 to -11.8 and the second from 7.2 to 12.3). This trend also caused a new destocking of inventories and the related balance went down from 17.3 to 12.4. The confidence climate index changed for the better both in the large scale distribution (from 90.8 to 97.8) and in the small and medium scale one (from 82.0 to 84.9).