In the first half of 2006 the economy of the Marche region returned to growth. Industrial production increased, with support coming mainly from export demand; the expansion in engineering was accompanied by a modest recovery in the fashion sector.
The signs of recovery strengthened over the summer; the sample of manufacturing firms interviewed by the Bank of Italy also offered positive assessments of the outlook for the last quarter of the year and the first few months of 2007. In the first half of 2006 the output of private residential building remained stable at constant prices, at historically high levels. Bank lending accelerated slightly overall, with lending to households and construction firms again growing at a faster pace. Bank fund-raising expanded, but securities held for custody by banks and fund-raising by investment funds contracted.
