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Italian business conditions deteriorate at softer rate in January
Italian manufacturers endured another challenging month in January, but there were some glimmers of hope. Declines in production and factory orders slowed notably and firms' confidence picked up. Meanwhile, vendor performance deteriorated for the first time in nearly a year, owing to shipping route complications in the Red Sea. Despite supply chain uncertainty, firms continued to reduce input buying levels and deplete stocks in January. The HCOB Italy Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ IndexTM (PMI®), a composite single-figure indicator of manufacturing performance derived from indicators for new orders, output, ... (full story)