The best European listing of 2013 – Moncler debuted on the stock exchange and pulled off a 47% rise on its first day of trading, what Bloomberg called the best European performance of the year (December 16 – Moncler Tops Royal Mail for Europe’s Best IPO Debut of 2013). And the foreign jumped at the chance to comment on the operation which, as the Canadian The Globe and Mail put it, brought the Milan stock market back in fashion (December 17 – Luxury brand Moncler makes Milan stock market fashionable again*). Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported on the enormous demand on the part of investors and the desperate scramble for the group’s stock, and the Spanish paper el Economista commented on the interest in Moncler by the fashion bigs, starting with Zara’s founder, Amancio Ortega (December 17 – Amancio Ortega invierte en la textil italiana Moncler en su debut bursátil).
The story of the quotation that started with kudos (Businessweek, December 16 Designer Down Coats Puff Up the Milan Stock Market) was also picked up by other papers. The Times related the operation’s success to the brand’s wide range of products, including jackets costing over 1,000 euro (December 17 – Moncler shares soar on first day of trading), the Wall Street Journal the New York Times underscored the attention the luxury sector is attracting right now and the effort to relaunch the Milan Stock Exchange as one of its shining stars (December 16 – Moncler Soars on Milan Debut; Moncler Shares Close Up 47% in Market Debut ).
But the furor over the Milan stocks was not limited to the fashion sector. According to the Wall Street Journal, as over 100 companies are considering listings, the Leone Film Group, spaghetti western director Sergio Leone’s movie production and distribution group, was also recently quoted (December 16 – The Good, the Bad and the IPO).
Made in Italy world wide – Made in Italy is not only flying in Milan. Equally important results are seen in exports. As the Brazilian Valor Economico reported, in October, exports led to an Italian trade surplus (December 16 – Superávit comercial da Itália quase dobra em outubro).
Behind the numbers are stories about products and brands with a long tradition. That is certainly the case with Riva, and a Bloomberg video tells the tale of Italy’s most famous yacht manufacturer (December 13 – Inside Italy’s Most Famous Yachtmaker). The foreign press also wrote about other news of some of Italy’s biggest brands. The Spanish Expanion published a review on the world of carmakers, enthusing over the Ferrari 458 Speciale (December 13 – Ferrari 458 Speciale, con el punto de mira puesto en la competción,Motor- transporte-reseñas motor) and telling the story of Maserati, still purring away after 100 years (December 13 – Maserati cumple cien años en plena forma). The Brazilian O Globo wrote about motorcycles, extolling the multiple qualities of the Ducati Multistrada (December 18 – As múltiplas personalidades da Ducati Multistrada).
Finally, the New York Times also told an Italian story. But, instead of writing about Italian industry, the paper was seduced by Naples, and dedicated a long article on the city’s marvels and chaos (December 13 – Seduced by Naples).
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