(July 18) In May, Italian exports appear to be in a slight increase in the seasonally adjusted data from the previous month (+0.6%), while European competitors seem to have stalled, with a decline in sales of 2.4% for Germany and 4.3% for France. Even considering the January-May 2013 period, Italy recorded a sales increase of 0.7%, which, albeit slight, it is still higher than that of an export leader like Germany (0.4%) or France (-1.2%). “Considering the global economic slowdown and despite a non-impressive investment cycle trend, exports still experience a slight increase, thanks to capital goods, which increased by 3.6% compared to April . Not surprisingly, the Italian mechanical industry confirms itself as main export driver, with assets in these first five months exceeding €19 billion, representing as much as 62% of Italy’s net energy surplus – said Gaetano Fausto Esposito, General Secretary of Assocamerestero, commenting on Istat data on foreign trade – These results are probably attributable to a certain recovery effect on the margins: we don’t sell more, but we sell better given the quality of our products, for which foreign buyers are willing to spend. This is evidenced by the increase of 1,7% on an annual basis of average unit values of exports in the first five months of the year.”
