Italy Consumer Confidence Rises To 4-Month High, Business Morale Improves

ROME (dpa-AFX) - Consumer confidence in Italy rose to its strongest in four months in January, while composite business confidence also rose for the second straight month, a survey by the statistical office Istat showed on Wednesday. As consumers became more confident, they spent more, which supported growth. According to the survey, the positive trend of the index is the synthesis of overall improving assessments, especially on the general economic situation and on the future. The economic climate index also increased considerably to 101.3 in January from 96.1 in December, and the future climate index also increased to 96.1 from 93.3. Similarly, the index measuring the personal climate increased to 97.1 from 96.4, and the current climate index also increased from 98.6 to 99.8. The data also showed that the composite business confidence index rose to a 9-month high of 95.7 in January from 95.3 in December. The rise in the index is driven by the industrial sector. The manufacturing index rose to 86.8 from 85.9, and the morale for the construction sector strengthened markedly from 100.9 to 104.2. However, the confidence indicator in market services dropped to 99.0 from 99.6 and the retail trade sentiment decreased marginally to 106.5 from 106.9. Copyright(c) 2025 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX© 2025 AFX News