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Italian manufacturing economy broadly stable in October
There was little change in the health of the Italian manufacturing sector in October. On the upside, production was back in growth territory (albeit only slightly) and the trend of decline in new orders lost momentum and was only mild overall. Manufacturers were also their most confident in over a year. On the downside, however, despite cost pressures picking up, companies reduced their charges due to strong price competition. At 49.9 in October, the HCOB Italy Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ IndexTM (PMI®), a composite single-figure indicator of manufacturing performance derived from indicators for new orders, ... (full story)