17% of businessmen worry over looming bad business in Q4

Pessimists have risen in Q4, compared with only 7% in Q3.

According to a release, nineteen per cent of survey respondents expect their business situation to improve in the fourth quarter compared with the last quarter, while 17% expect it to worsen.

These were the findings of the Census & Statistics Department's latest Quarterly Business Tendency Survey. The proportion of respondents expecting their Q4 business situation to be worse than that in the preceding quarter has risen to 17%, compared with 7% in the third quarter.

The prevalence of optimistic business expectations among respondents is lower in the Q4 when compared with the last quarter, the department said.

In the retail, accommodation and food services, information & communications and real estate sectors, more respondents expect their business situation to be better, as compared to those expecting it to be worse, in Q4 over Q3.

In the import/export trade and wholesale sector, however, less respondents expect their business situation to be better, as compared to those expecting it to be worse.

Respondents in some of the surveyed sectors expect an increase in volume of business/output in Q4 over the previous quarter on balance. Significantly more respondents in the construction and retail sectors expect their volume of business/output to increase, as compared to those expecting it to decrease.

The enumeration period for the survey was from September 6 to October 11.