(Finance) – “Despite the difficulties linked to the current economic situationthe data on Italian exports from January to August 2024 reflect substantial stability, with a slight decline of -0.6%. This contraction is also confirmed in September with a decrease of -2.2% compared to the same month of the previous year, thus bringing the annual result to an overall -0.7%, compared to the same period of 2023. A trend that consolidates the probability that the overall export of 2024 is in line with the result achieved the previous year (626 billion euros) but it will depend on the volatility of the markets in the coming months.
Analyzing the month of September alone compared to the same month of 2023, products of the coke and petroleum derivatives (-42.6%), motor vehicles (-29.2%), mechanics (-7.6%). On the other hand, compared to September 2023, pharmaceutical, chemical-medicinal and botanical items increased on an annual basis (+15.2%), means of transport, excluding motor vehicles (+15.1%), food products, beverages and tobacco ( +7.8%).
At the level of geographical areas, Italian exports have recorded a decrease towards some of our main commercial partners: Germany, due to the instability experienced by the country, consolidates a negative year-to-date trend of -5.5%, also due to the automotive crisis; the slowdown in particular is the United States which shows a decline between January-Sep 2024 of -1.5% (compared to the same period last year) but collapses of -13.4% compared to September 2023. were, among other factors, the uncertainties linked to the recently concluded electoral phase. The decline in China weighs heavily, expressing a value of -23.3% since the beginning of the year (mainly concentrated in pharmaceuticals) with -4.9% in September.
What gives us hope are the significant increases in Italian exports to some rapidly growing markets such as Turkey, where our exports grew by 18% in September alone and by 23.2% in the first 9 months as a whole, the OPEC countries with a +10.3 on a monthly basis and a +10.5 on an annual basis, and the Asean with +1.1% on a monthly basis and +6.8 on an annual basis”.