Italy's goods producing sector remained firmly on a contraction footing in October. In fact, the downturn gathered pace amid the fastest falls in factory production and order books since the height of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, respectively. Weak demand was also reflected in a further uplift in stocks of finished goods. In response, firms cut their input buying at the fastest pace for over two-years. Reduced demand led to a further cooling of inflationary pressures. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global Italy Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) fell from 48.3 in September to 46.5 in October, to ... (full story)