According to the survey conducted between 28 May and 15 June 2018 among Italian firms with 50 or more employees, opinions regarding the general state of the economy have worsened across all sectors partly on account of the deteriorating financial market conditions observed in the early days of the survey. Overall assessments of current demand have stabilized, while domestic and foreign demand expectations have instead become less favorable.
Investment plans for the current year were slightly less positive compared with the previous quarter. Employment expectations are worsening, particularly among construction companies.
Consumer price inflation expectations fell across all time horizons. Firms in the service sector expect a slight deceleration in their sales prices compared with the last survey, while firms in industry did not change their estimates. The cost of production inputs continues to represent the main driver of price dynamics.
