Wednesday, July 30th, 2014
The business outlook is getting dimmer. The Federation of Korean Industries announced on July 29 the Business Sentiment Index for August at 91.6, the lowest level since February this year when the figure was 88.7. The index is compiled by the industry trade group every month based on surveys on top-600 companies in terms of sales revenue.
A business sentiment index over and above 100 implies there are more firms that see the business outlook would be better than it is now than otherwise. The BSI figures have been on a downward trend for the past three months since June, largely due to the ferry sinking incident on April 16 that brought the consumer sentiment to the bottom. The Federation of Korean Industries said the business outlook for the second half is pessimistic due to factors such as the lower-than-expected second-quarter economic growth rate and lackluster domestic consumption, among others.
The business outlook for small business is also gloomy. According to the Korea Federation of SMEs based on a survey on 1,377 small enterprises, the Small Business Health Index for August was 81.6, the lowest in two years since August 2012.