24/3/2011 00:00:00
According to Istat, in March 2011 the index of consumer confidence falls to 105.2 from 106.3 the previous month. The worsening compared to February is due to a fall of the indicator on the economic climate of the country (from 78.5 to 75.8) and to a limited reduction (from 120.5 to 119.7) of that referring to the personal economic situation.
The indexes for the current situation (from 114.8 to 113.9) and future prospects (from 94.7 to 93.7) also go down. In particular, evaluations on the expected unemployment and current opportunities for savings worsen.
Even forecasts on the economic situation of the country, household budgets and assessments on the market for durable goods slightly worsen.
On the other hand, assessments on the economic situation of the country and the present and prospective evaluations on the economic situation of their families recovered slightly. Those relating to future opportunities for savings improve to a greater extent.
As for prices, consumer reviews of the dynamics of the last 12 months indicate acceleration, and expectations about the future are directed to a further rise.
The downturn in consumer confidence recorded at the national level has spread unevenly over the territory: the decline is particularly marked in the north-west of the country and moderate in the South and Centre. In the Northeast, however, the index is unchanged from the previous month.
