ROME (ITALPRESS) – Industrial production is still falling in Italy. In December, Istat estimates the index fell 3.1 percent compared to November. In the average of the fourth quarter, the level of production fell 1.2 percent compared to the previous three months. The monthly seasonally adjusted index increases on a cyclical basis only for energy (+0.9%); while it falls for capital goods, consumer goods (-3.3% for both sectors) and intermediate goods (-3.6%). Net of calendar effects, in December 2024 the overall index declines in trend terms by 7.1 percent (there were 20 calendar working days compared to 18 in December 2023). Growth is recorded only for energy (+5.5 percent); on the contrary, marked decreases mark capital goods (-10.7 percent), intermediate goods (-9.5 percent) and consumer goods (-7.3 percent).The only sectors of economic activity that record trend increases in December are mining and quarrying (+17.4 percent) and electricity, gas, steam and air supply (+5.0 percent). Particularly sharp declines, however, are seen in the manufacture of transport equipment (-23.6 percent), textile, clothing, leather and accessories industries (-18.3 percent) and metallurgy and manufacture of metal products (-14.6 percent).”The year 2024 closes with a decrease in industrial production of 3.5 percent; the trend dynamics of the calendar-adjusted index was negative for all months of the year, with cyclical declines in all quarters,” is Istat’s comment. Among the main industry groupings, only for energy there is an increase in the year 2024 as a whole. Within manufacturing, only the food, beverages and tobacco industries are up from the previous year, while the sharpest declines are noted for textiles, clothing, leather and accessories and manufacture of transport equipment.”
– Istat press office photo -(ITALPRESS).