Economy and Politics
Italy's economy has been increasingly privatized in recent years. and has been experiencing an economic upturn since 2006, which, however, suffered a significant setback during the financial and banking crisis in 2008.
Italy can be economically differentiated into the highly industrialized North and the agrarian South. While the South of the country is structurally weak, Northern Italy has a well-developed service sector. The most significant pillars of the Italian economy are tourism, which accounts for 63% of all economic activity, 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 a significant role in the Italian economy. There is a special wealth of natural resources in the area of natural gas and petroleum.
The salary level in Italy is lower than in Germany. Statutory minimum wages are negotiated between most unions and employers. However, wages in southern Italy are up to a quarter lower than in northern Italy.
The largest companies
The company associated with Italy is Ferrari. The heart beats faster. The most exclusive luxury car brand in the world. A strong brand full of emotions. More to be classified in the luxury segment like LVMH than among the established manufacturers like VW. However, it is also interesting to note that the headquarters are located in the Netherlands.
According to market capitalization, the most valuable Italian companies are energy and financial companies, including Enel, Intesa Sanpaola, and Eni.
Enel, with a market value of approximately $105 billion, is an Italian energy company based in Rome, operating in the fields of electricity generation and natural gas. The company is the largest electricity provider in Italy and globally.
Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. is one of the largest Italian banking institutions. The company, headquartered in Turin, is listed on the Borsa Italiana in the benchmark FTSE MIB index.
Eni is an Italian oil and energy conglomerate based in Rome, operating in the fields of oil, natural gas, power generation, petrochemicals, engineering, and services in oil fields.
The largest and most important trading platforms
The Italian stock exchange is located in Milan. The Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the only stock exchange in Italy.
The Milan Stock Exchange is located in the Palazzo Mezzanotte at Piazza Affari. It is colloquially referred to as Piazza Affari due to its location.
Price performance of the indices
FTSE MIB is an Italian benchmark index comprising the 40 leading Italian companies. traded on the Milan Stock Exchange. 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
The trading hours in Italy, similar to Germany, are between 09:00 and 17:30 (CET) with five trading days a week.
