Biz outlook up for 2nd month for March amid export recovery

Containers are unloaded from ships at a port in the southeastern city of Busan in this Sept. 1, 2023 file photo. Yonhap

Korea's business sentiment improved for a second straight month for March amid a recovery in exports, a central bank poll showed Wednesday.

Local companies' business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 72 for the coming month, up from 69 the previous month, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea.

The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions in the following month. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The central bank said business sentiment improved as outbound shipments are expected to continue to recover.

The BSI for manufacturers came to 75 for March, up 4 points from the previous month. The index for nonmanufacturing firms rose 2 points to 70 over the same period, the data showed. (Yonhap)