NSI poll finds downturn in business sentiment in Bulgaria in October

A regular monthly poll by the National Statistical Institute (NSI), the results of which were released on October 30, has found a downturn in business sentiment across all four sectors surveyed in October.

The total business climate indicator was down by 4.7 percentage points compared with September, the NSI said.

The largest drop was in the retail trade, down by 9.6 percentage points, with retailers’ views of the business situation shifting from “better” to “staying the same”, the poll found.

Retailers’ views about the volume of sales over the past three months had improved, but their forecasts about the next three months were unfavourable.

In the service sector, the indicator was down by 4.5 percentage points, with managers holding reserved views of the business situation. Their opinions about the present demand for services are unfavourable, while in there was some optimism in their expectations about the coming three months.

In the industry sector, the indicator was down by 3.3 percentage points, with managers holding unfavourable assessments and expectations of the business situation.

Their opinions about the orders inflow over the past three months were also negative, which was also accompanied by decreased expectations about production activity over the next three months.

The indicator in the construction sector was down by three percentage points, with managers assessments and expectations about the business situation having worsened.

They said that in the next half year, a slight decrease of the new orders is expected, the NSI said.

(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)