Industry competitiveness index in Catalonia improved 0.4 points in last quarter of 2014

Barcelona (ACN) – The price competitiveness index for Catalan industry in relation to other industrialised countries improved by 0.4 points in the last quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, according to figures released on Monday by the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (IDESCAT). This improvement in competitiveness is particularly noticeable when compared against newly industrialised Asian countries. The favourable exchange rate has helped offset the loss of competitiveness of industrial prices compared to other industrialised countries. The nominal component improved 1.3 percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2014, while industrial prices worsened 0.9 percentage points.

The annual evolution of price competitiveness indicator shows Catalan industry with a 2.7 percent advantage over newly industrialised Asian countries and a slight edge over other industrialised economies, at 0.2 percentage points. In both cases, the evolution of Euro exchange rates offset the loss of competitiveness of the industrial prices component. Moreover, the competitiveness index suffered because of the evolution of industrial prices in European markets (0.5 points) and the Eurozone (1.1 points).