In the second quarter of this year, the ISET Business Confidence Index registered 21.7 on a scale of 100 points (see methodology below). This is down from the 30.2 recorded in the first quarter of the same year. The positive number nevertheless indicates that the confidence factor among businesses is about 21.7 more positive, rather than negative or neutral (e.g. a confidence index of 100 would have indicated that all firms in the sample reported a positive outlook. An index of zero would indicate that the weighted balance of positive and negative views reported by firms is about equal, or alternatively that all firms reported no change in the current business situation).
Sectoral breakdown of the BCI shows that a marginally positive outlook dominates in all sectors. In particular, the financial sector outlook has improved considerably since the last quarter of 2013.