Rome – In the first quarter of 2024, Italy's merchandise exports reached the same level as those of Japan. This is reported by Il Sole 24 Ore, which notes that this is good news in a challenging period marked by stock market crises, the deflation of the AI bubble, the risk of a potential recession in the United States, and ongoing stagnation in what was once Europe’s economic powerhouse, Germany. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Italian exports, despite being affected by the German crisis, are becoming increasingly competitive and significant: “Despite a 1.5% decrease in value compared to the first quarter of last year – the article states – Italian exports reached 168 billion dollars in the first three months of 2024, matching the level of Japan (which experienced a corresponding 3% drop). This places us in fourth position globally, tied with Japan, as the Netherlands’ export figures, officially listed as the fourth highest, actually consist of about 60% re-exports and transit goods rather than goods produced in the Netherlands.” According to the analysis, it has never happened before that Italian exports equaled Japan’s exports in a single quarter, partly due to the recent depreciation of the yen, which has somewhat deflated the value of Japan’s foreign trade. (9colonne)