Italy stuck in a deepening economic rut
After a triple-dip recession, Italy finally began growing again in early 2015. But the rebound already appears to have petered out.
Was that it? After a triple-dip recession, Italy finally began growing again in early 2015. But the rebound already appears to have petered out. In the second quarter, overall eurozone growth slowed, but Italy's ground to a complete halt. Output stagnated between April and June. Industrial production registered its steepest fall in nearly two years.
"Italy is falling further behind the pace in Europe a long-running trend," as The Wall Street Journal's Richard Barley points out. Following the longest slump since 1945 and a mini-upswing, Italy's overall output is still 8% below its pre-crisis peak. The eurozone as a whole, notably Germany, has long surpassed this level.
The renewed stagnation "will be gnawing" at Italy's centre-left prime minster, Matteo Renzi, for several reasons, says the FT. Italy's banks are grappling with a big pile of non-performing loans. The sector has already undermined growth by being reluctant to lend, and will be even more so now that growth has disappeared.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Meanwhile, after decades of over-borrowing, Italy has ended up with a public debt pile worth 135% of GDP. Without growth it can't begin to get that under control, while it hardly helps that the economy has slipped into deflation. Prices have been falling on an annual basis for six months now. While inflation erodes debt, deflation makes it heavier, endangering confidence and investment.
The immediate problem, however, is political. Renzi has called a referendum for October. The idea is to gain popular approval for an overhaul of parliament, curtailing the power of the senate, which has hamstrung lawmaking in recent years. With its wings clipped, there would be much less scope for long-overdue structural reforms to get stuck or derailed. Renzi has threatened to resign if he loses the vote, which has prompted opposition parties to portray it as a verdict on his increasingly unpopular government. Bad economic news is not going to help his cause.
Renzi has so far managed to push through some small but important reforms, such as making it slightly easier for employers to fire new workers. But if this referendum gambit fails, the economy would stay "stuck in a low-growth rut", says Barley.
Moreover, the main beneficiary is likely to be the populist Five-Star movement, which wants a referendum on Italy's euro membership. The departure of a founding EU member from Europe's integrationist project could mean the death of the single currency and would constitute another massive blow to the EU. Italy's chronic crisis could soon come to an explosive end.
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.
Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.
You can follow Chris on Instagram.
-
Christmas at Chatsworth: review of The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow
MoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge gets into the festive spirit at The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow and the Christmas market at Chatsworth
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Tycoon Truong My Lan on death row over world’s biggest bank fraud
Property tycoon Truong My Lan has been found guilty of a corruption scandal that dwarfs Malaysia’s 1MDB fraud and Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto scam
By Jane Lewis Published