Consumers were spending a bit
more on goods and restaurant meals in November, compared with
the previous month, but that did not reflect a return in
confidence, business group Confcommercio said in a report
Tuesday.
In its monthly survey, Confcommercio said it recorded a
rise of 0.2% in consumption in November over the previous month
when consumption fell.
But it warned that it was too early to suggest a positive
trend had developed.
"(The figure) while indicating the continuation of a phase
of moderate recovery...does not seem to support, in the coming
months, more sustained (consumer) demand," the group said.
In terms of confidence "we do not see, in fact, positive
signs from households and firms".
Confcommercio said that it recorded an increase of 1.5% in
November over October in spending on hotels and meals outside
the home and a rise of 0.4% in spending on recreation.
However, there was no change in spending on personal care
items, clothing and footwear.
The only annualized increase recorded in November was in
vehicle purchases, where spending rose by 3.4% compared with
November 2013.
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