Consumer confidence in Italy experienced an increase in February, reaching its highest point in eight months, according to data from Istat, the country's statistical office. On the other hand, reports indicate that business confidence took a downward turn.
In February, consumer sentiment rose to 97.0 from 96.4 in January. Notably, this was the highest value recorded since June 2023—when it stood at 97.5.
Examining individual components, the personal climate index advanced to 95.2 in February from 93.9 in January. The current climate index also saw an improvement, climbing from 95.8 to 97.0. However, the economic climate index witnessed a slight decrease, moving down to 102.0 from 103.1. The future climate index remained largely static compared to January.
Further data revealed that the composite index for business confidence was slightly weaker in February, declining to 95.8 from 97.9 the previous month. This downturn was largely attributed to a general decrease in confidence across all surveyed economic sectors.
For manufacturers, sentiment dipped to 87.3 from 88.1. In the service sector, the confidence index reduced from 102.5 to 100.2.
