The upturn in Italy’s manufacturing economy gathered speed at the start of the second quarter, with production growth picking up amid a faster increase in new orders. Both employment and purchasing activity were raised accordingly. Meanwhile, there were further cuts to producer prices as purchasing costs continued to tumble. The headline M arkit/ADACI Italy Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index ® ( PMI ® ) – a single - figure measure of developments in overall business conditions – climbed to 53.9 in April from March’s 53.5, signalling the strongest improvement in business conditions in 2016 so far. The index was ... (full story)