April data signalled a sustained expansion of the Italian service sector, with business activity rising for a fourth month running. However, the speed of the upturn slowed for the first time this year, amid reports of increasing price pressures which led to softer demand conditions. Service providers nevertheless stepped up their hiring activity. Though sentiment was positive, confidence in the outlook remained below its historic trend level. The headline index from the report, the HCOB Italy Services PMI® Business Activity Index dipped slightly from 54.6 in March to 54.3 in April, though still indicative of a solid ... (full story)