CII’s Business Confidence Index climbs to 59.7 in Oct-Dec quarter

11 Dec 2017 Evaluate

Showing improvement in perception regarding overall economic conditions amidst indications of a normalisation in business situation after the recent interruptions like Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII’s) Business Confidence Index has climbed to 59.7 during October-December 2017, against 58.3 in the previous quarter. As per the CII’s quarterly Business Outlook Survey, Indian companies are optimistic that the country’s economic growth will gain traction during the third quarter of fiscal year 2017-18 and the government's interference is having a ground impact.

The survey, which is based on responses from large, medium and small companies, covering all regions of the country, showed that the improvement in business confidence strengthens the hope that improvement in macro data is sustainable. According to the survey report, the significant improvement in the index this quarter has been led by a sharp improvement in the Expectation Index, as compared to the Current Situation Index, as firms appeared particularly upbeat about the expectations in their sectors.

As per the quarterly Business Outlook Survey, business conditions are expected to improve as over 63 percent of the firms anticipated an increase in sales in October-December 2017, compared with only 44 percent who experienced the same in the previous quarter. The report said a majority of the firms expected no change in their investment plans, with around 50 percent expecting to maintain status quo in their domestic investment plans. On the international front, too, 59 percent firms expected to keep their investment plans unchanged. Besides on the concerns, the firms rated low domestic demand, followed by high commodity prices as the major threats.

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