South Korean companies were more pessimistic about their business conditions in April than the previous month, a poll showed Monday.
The business survey index (BSI) on business conditions in the manufacturing sector for March stood at 77, up 3 points from the previous month, but that for the outlook for April fell by 2 points to 80, according to the survey of 2,862 companies nationwide, including 1,475 manufacturers. A BSI reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists and a BSI reading below 100 means otherwise.
After seasonal adjustment, the BSI for March was 74, unchanged from a month earlier, but that for the outlook for April fell by 3 points to 76, said the poll conducted by the Bank of Korea (BOK) between March 16 and March 23.
Other results of the survey included:
- In the non-manufacturing sector, the BSI on business conditions for March was 70, up 2 points from the previous month, but that for the outlook for April remained unchanged at 74. After seasonal adjustment, the BSI for March was 70, up 1 point from February, but that for the outlook for April remained unchanged at 72.
- The economic sentiment index (ESI), a composite of the BSI and the CSI (consumer survey index), for March was 98, down 2 points from February.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
