As 2016 draws to a close, business confidence for 2017 remains strong. Dun and Bradstreet’s December Business Expectations Survey shows that companies are expecting to see increased employment, profits, capital investment and selling prices for the first quarter of 2016 compared to the previous quarter. However, expectations for sales have dropped back.
According to Stephen Koukoulas, economics adviser to Dun and Bradstreet: “In the last month, there has been a cooling in business expectations for key parts of the economy, even though the general tone of the Business Expectation Survey remains positive for the early part of 2017.”
Dun & Bradstreet’s Business Expectations Index, the average of the survey’s measures of Sales, Profits, Employment and Capital Investment, stands at 18.9 points for the March quarter of 2017, up 11.2 percent from 17.0 points for Q4 2016 and on par with the March 2016 figure. The final Q1 2017 result is 10.3 points above the 10-year average of 8.6 points. The index is currently at its highest point since the December quarter of 2015, when it reached 21.8 points.
To read the full report click on this link: DB Australian Business Expectations Survey – Media- Q1 2017 final
