Italy Economy Real Time Data Charts

Edward Hugh is only able to update this blog from time to time, but he does run a lively Twitter account with plenty of Italy related comment. He also maintains a collection of constantly updated Italy economy charts together with short text updates on a Storify dedicated page Italy - Lost in Stagnation?


Tuesday, December 05, 2006

EU Services Continue To Expand

Latest data across the EU suggest that the services sector is expanding at a slightly more rapid pace:

Growth in European services industries, the biggest part of the economy, unexpectedly accelerated in November, prompting speculation the European Central Bank will keep raising interest rates next year.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc said today its services index, which accounts for about a third of the economy and covers industries such as telecommunications and banking, rose to 57.6, a four-month high, from 56.5 in October.


Of course the composite figure hides a fair degree of country level difference. French services, for example, continued to expand, but at a slighly slower rate, whilst the rate of expansion in Italy accelerated:

Doppia sorpresa positiva dal Pmi servizi. L’indice elaborato da Rbs/Ntc intervistando i direttori agli acquisti delle imprese del settore, è salito novembre sia in Eurolandia che in Italia oltre le attese del mercato.

Nella zona euro, l’indice è passato a 57,6 a novembre dai 56,5 di ottobre, raggiungendo il livello più alto da luglio. Anche in Italia l'indice, predisposto da Rbs/Adaci, ha accelerato passando da 54,1 a 56,2, livello massimo da agosto, superando le attese degli economisti (54) e restando saldamento sopra la soglia dei 50 punti che separa contrazione da espansione. Bene anche il dato tedesco che è cresciuto da 54 a 56,8 mentre in Francia è sceso da 61 a 58,8.

Thanks to Paris for the link.

(Any reading above 50 on these indexes constitutes expansion).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link. :)

By the way what I think is significant for the Eurozone is that Services and Manufacturing are both seeing expansion. As is, of course, Italy.

Some more links:

M/V Registrations

Somewhere there is data on the recovery in industry in Italy but I seem to have misplaced it.

The risk for the EuroZone really seems to be the external sector. Slower world growth is the risk factor to watch.

Anonymous said...

Another link worth looking at:

LINK - Italian Public Accounts

The news is good, of course! :)