Prometeia, Italy in recession, GDP -0.3%

(ANSA) - ROME, FEBRUARY 27 - The first quarter of 2020 will record a contraction in GDP of 0.3% bringing Italy into technical incecession (two consecutive quarters of minus sign), "the fourth recession since 2009". This is the "highly probable" scenario outlined by Prometeia in an updated report after the outbreak of coronavirus cases in Northern Italy, "assuming that support policies are in place for companies in difficulty and that the situation tends to normalize by mid-March". Prometeia foresees "a fall in the GDP of the analogue amount in the year average".