Economic sentiment – a mixed bag

In its May edition, business magazine LMD reports that “businesses are still wrestling with uncertainty – a familiar challenge in recent times. The latest results from the one-of-a-kind LMD-PEPPERCUBE Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey reflect a mixed bag in the context of economic sentiment.” 

While there are some positive indicators, several negatives persist, LMD states.

In April, only 28% of survey participants expressed optimism about the economy ‘improving’ in the next 12 months, marking a seven point decline from March, it explains. “On the contrary, nearly three in 10 anticipate that the economy will ‘stay the same,’ reflecting a 12 percentage point improvement from the previous month, LMD notes.

Economic…

Optimism is on the rise regarding sales volumes ‘getting better’ over the next 12 months, the magazine reports – 36% of respondents to the monthly poll anticipate an uptick, which reflects a four point increase compared to March.

And more than a fifth of poll participants anticipate their numbers to ‘stay the same,’ which is a slight uptick from March (21%), it says. 

An LMD spokesperson comments, “The big picture is that economic sentiment remains subdued. Less than half of PepperCube’s sample population feel that their sales volumes will ‘get worse’ over the next three months, compared to 50% in March.”

LMD’s publisher, Media Services, says the latest edition of the magazine has been released. And its digital edition has been shared on WhatsApp and the publisher’s social media platforms.

The magazine’s cover story features an exclusive interview with the Washington DC based Prof. Shantayanan Devarajan – who is a distinguished figure in the fields of international development and economics – in which he discusses the nation’s economic priorities in this election year.

The full story has been uploaded on LMD’s website (www.LMD.lk).