The Italian manufacturing sector tipped back into contraction territory at the end of the third quarter amid fresh declines in production and new sales. Although firms reined in their spending on inputs and materials, employment returned to growth as companies reported stronger expectations for the outlook for output and planned expansions in business operations. At the same time, cost pressures regained momentum as firms registered a renewed increase in input prices. The HCOB Italy Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ IndexTM (PMI®), a composite single-figure indicator of manufacturing performance derived from ... (full story)