South Korea Business Sentiment Index drops

EditorialRoom 27th January 2022

South Korea Business Sentiment Index drops

South Korea’s Business Survey Index (BSI) on manufacturing business conditions was 90 in January, down 5 points from the previous month,  the Bank of Korea said on Thursday (Jan. 27). The outlook for the following month also fell by 2 points to 90. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists. The fall is attributed to the prospect for sluggish demand in the electronic, video, communication equipment and metal processing sectors. The Business Survey Index (BSI) is compiled to grasp the business conditions for the current month and their outlook for the month following, by conducting surveys on entrepreneurs’ perceptions of them. A total of 15 items, including business conditions, sales and profitability, are surveyed at 3,255 corporations. In the non-manufacturing sector, the BSI on business conditions for January 2022 was 83, up 1 point from the previous month, and the outlook for the following month also rose by 4

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CEO confidence retreated in Q4 2021

EditorialRoom 21st December 2021

CEO confidence retreated in Q4 2021

CEOs’ confidence slipped further in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence™ in collaboration with The Business Council The measure now stands at 65, down moderately from 67 in Q3 2021—and substantially from Q2’s all-time high of 82. (A reading above 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses.) The survey was fielded from November 3rd through November 19th. CEOs’ assessment of current economic conditions softened further while CEOs’ view of conditions in their own industries also weakened, with 58 percent reporting better conditions compared to six months ago, down from 64 percent in Q3. Looking ahead, expectations declined moderately in Q4 compared to Q3: 61 percent of CEOs expect economic conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 60 percent. Similarly, 61 percent of CEOs anticipate short-term prospects in their own industries to improve, down from 65 percent. “CEO confidence slipped further in Q4, as business leaders continued to wrestle with the

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Most CEOs predict return to growth in 2021

EditorialRoom 13th March 2021

Most CEOs predict return to growth in 2021

One year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, CEOs are voicing record levels of optimism in the global economic recovery, with 76% of global business leaders predicting that economic growth will improve in 2021. The figures come from PwC’s 24th Annual Global CEO Survey, which this year polled 5,050 CEOs in 100 countries and territories over January and February 2021. The percentage of CEOs expressing confidence in growth is up from 22% in 2020 and 42% in 2019, representing the highest level of optimism since the survey started asking this question in 2012. Optimism among CEOs over global economic growth is particularly strong in North America and Western Europe, with 86% and 76% of CEOs, respectively, from these regions predicting improved global growth in the year ahead. “After a year of human tragedy and extensive economic hardship, it is encouraging to see that the people responsible for making investment decisions and hiring staff are feeling

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