Economy and politics
Italy's economy has been increasingly privatized in recent years and has been experiencing an economic upswing since 2006, which was, however, severely dampened in the course of the financial and banking crisis in 2008.
In economic terms, Italy can be divided into the highly industrialized north and the agricultural south. While the south of the country is rather structurally weak, northern Italy has a well-developed service sector. The most important pillars of the Italian economy are tourism, which accounts for 63 % of all economic output, industry and agriculture.
The most sought-after industrial products "Made in Italy" come from Fiat, Ferrari, Benetton and Gucci. The most important agricultural products are olives, dates and apples as well as artichokes, corn and tomatoes. Of course, the production and export of wine and cheese also play an important role in the Italian economy. There is a particular wealth of natural resources in the field of natural gas and petroleum.
Salary levels in Italy are lower than in Germany. Statutory minimum wages are negotiated by most unions with employers. However, wages in southern Italy are up to a quarter lower than in northern Italy.
The largest companies
The company that people associate with Italy is Ferrari. It makes the heart beat faster. The most exclusive luxury car brand in the world. A strong brand full of emotion. More in the luxury segment like LVMH than the established manufacturers like VW. However, it is also interesting that the headquarters are located in the Netherlands.
By stock market value, the most valuable Italian companies are energy and financial companies with Enel, Intesa Sanpaola and Eni.
Enel, with a stock market value of approximately €105 billion, is an Italian energy group based in Rome and active in power generation and natural gas. The company is the largest electricity supplier in Italy and worldwide.
Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. is one of the largest Italian credit institutions. The company, headquartered in Turin, is listed on the Borsa Italiana in the FTSE MIB benchmark index.
Eni is an Italian petroleum and energy group based in Rome, active in oil, natural gas, power generation, petrochemicals, engineering and oilfield services.
The largest and most important trading centers
The Italian stock exchange is based in Milan. Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the only securities exchange in Italy.
The Milan Stock Exchange is located in Palazzo Mezzanotte in Piazza Affari. The stock exchange is also colloquially called Piazza Affari after its location.
Price development of the indices
FTSE MIB is an Italian benchmark index of the 40 leading Italian public companies, traded on the Borsa Italiana in Milan. FTSE MIB stands for Financial Times Stock Exchange and Milano Italia Borsa. Currently, the benchmark index stands at over 26,500 points.
Trading hours in Italy
Trading hours in Italy are similar to those in Germany, between 09:00 and 17:30 (CET) with five trading days a week.
