ROME (Reuters) – Morale among Italian businesses and consumers moved in opposite directions in December, data showed on Friday, with confidence among businesses recovering from recent lows but consumer confidence falling for a third straight month. .
The data paints an uncertain picture ahead of next year for the euro zone’s third-largest economy, which has stagnated in recent months.
National statistics institute ISTAT’s composite business morale index, which combines surveys of the manufacturing, retail, construction and services sectors, hit 95.3, recovering from a more than three-year low of 93.2 in November .
The subindex measuring morale among manufacturers declined to 85.8 from 86.5, but this was offset by a sharp improvement in service sector confidence.
Consumer confidence fell this month to 96.3 from 96.6 in November, ISTAT said, below a median forecast of 97.0 in a Reuters poll of analysts.