26/10/2011 00:00:00
According to Istat, in October 2011, the seasonally adjusted index of confidence in the manufacturing sector falls slightly, from 94.5 in September to 94.0. The ratings on orders worsen, while the production expectations and judgments about the level of inventories remain stable. The index increased from 90.1 to 91.3 in capital goods and from 95.5 to 95.8 in consumer goods, but decreases from 96.4 to 95.3 in intermediate goods. According to the usual questions on the quarterly capacity, in the third quarter the degree of plants’ utilization rose to 71.8% from 71.6% in the second quarter. The duration of production assured on the base of the current backlog decreased from 3.2 to 3.1 months. In the third quarter, the share of operators indicating the presence of obstacles to production increases from 37% to 44%. In September 2011, the seasonally adjusted index of confidence in construction companies rose to 78.6 from 77.1 in August. Improve assessments on orders and/or construction plans, and worsen employment expectations. The index rose to 67.1 from 66.1 in the construction of buildings, down from 91.1 to 88.3 in civil engineering and from 91.4 to 90.2 in specialized construction works. According to the usual quarterly question, the duration secured by construction work in progress or to be performed increases from 7.9 to 9.6 months.
