Return of investor confidence – Italy is showing signs of recovery and the return of investor confidence. The foreign press once again focused on the country’s economic situation, and the news was positive. Le Figaro ran an article on how Rome has regained the confidence of the markets (January 13 – L’Italie apaisée a regagné la confiance des marchés), while Bloomberg Businessweek and the Spanish Expansion explained that investors have been showing an interest in Italian bonds and that three-year treasury bonds are the lowest seen for almost three years (January 13 : Italia emite deuda a tres años al menor coste desde el euro; Italian Bonds Gain After Nation Sells Most Debt Since May 2011).
Good news has also come from industry. According to the latest data, Italian production has started growing again (Wall Street Journal, January 13 – Italy’s November Industrial Output Rises*). Foreign groups are also investing in Italian manufacturing, like Phlip Morris International, which will spend 500 million euro for a new factory near Bologna, dedicated to innovative products with a low risk to health (January 10 in Bloomberg Businessweek – Philip Morris Int’l building plants in Italy and Wall Street Journal – Philip Morris Investing To Produce ‘Reduced-Risk’ Products).
Italian groups in Latin America – Meanwhile, Italian industrial groups are still wagering on internationalization. Prime Minister Enrica Letta visited Mexico to reinforce trade (El Pais, January 11 – Letta viaja el lunes a México para reforzar los intercambios comerciales), and Enel signed an agreement in the Central American country, to exploit the opening of the energy market, with contracts on geothermic and the smart grid Financial Times, January 14 – Enel and Mexico sign energy deal). In addition, Latin American markets continue to show interesting growth rates, even for consumer products. Valor Economico reported that Lavazza, for example, is showing double digit growth in Brazil (January 15 – Lavazza prevê crescer 12% no mercado brasileiro*).
Automotive industry concentrates on the luxury market – After the news of Fiat’s acquisition of all of Chrysler stocks, the foreign press concentrated their interest on the Turin group’s strategies (Wall Street Journal, January 13 – Fiat CEO Sets Out His Priorities), which seem to be centered on the production of high end Alfa Romeo cars in Italian factories (Wall Street Journal, January 13 – Fiat Mulls Second Alfa Romeo SUV, Moving Ypsilon to Italy). Bloomberg Businessweek reported that another Italian luxury carmaker Lamboghini (controlled by Volkswagen) is designing a new SUV for 2017 (January 14 – Lamborghini Plans SUV in 2017 as Segment Wins Luxury Buyers).
Men’s Fashion Week – The Milan Men’s Fashion Week attracted the attention of the foreign press. The New York Times, in its blog On the Runway, reported daily on the collections (from January 12 to 16 Dudes and Other Distractions in Milan; For Prada and Gucci a very similar view of fashion; Gucci Skinny Pants Trip; Armani Shapes a Comfort Zone; Go Big and Tell the Truth). The fashion shows of January 13 and 14 and the newest trends were also reported in Bloomberg Businessweek (Milan designers offer softer silhouette for men; Milan designers trumpet workmanship), El Pais (Pistas de cambio en la pasarela masculina de Milán) e Le Monde (Luxe et sportswear : un mariage à l’italienne). Men’s Fashion Week was also an occasion for the foreign press to tell about the stories and strategies of indivudal fashion houses, for example Kiton (Le Monde, January 14 – Kiton, tailleur napolitain) and Gucci. The Wall Street Journal ran an interview with the brand’s creative director and CEO (January 15 – Gucci’s Power Couple, Frida Giannini and Patrizio di Marco, on the Future of the Brand).
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