Italian economy likely to slow in next few months - stats bureau

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The Italian economy is likely to slow further in the next few months after stagnating in the third quarter, national statistics bureau ISTAT said on Friday.

In its monthly economic bulletin ISTAT noted that consumer confidence fell for a fourth month running in October, while business morale also dropped in all sectors barring construction.

The data "suggests the Italian economy could slow down in coming months," ISTAT said.

*Italian gross domestic product was flat in the third quarter compared with the previous three months, a preliminary ISTAT estimate showed last week, following a 0.4% contraction between April and June.