Kiet Manufacturing Business Survey Index (Bsi) for the 4th Quarter 2018

The overall composite Business Survey Index for the manufacturing sector in Q4 2018 remained under the baseline (100).Moreover, all feeder indices excepting sales (88), domestic demand (86), and facilities investment (96) have slightly worsened compared to the previous quarter. Sales, domestic demand and facilities investment maintained their levels recorded in Q3. BSI forecasts for the 1st quarter of 2019 indicate that manufacturers anticipate a grim business environment. All feeder indices for the manufacturing sector are forecast to be below the baseline; only inventory (101) is only expected to improve its performance. On a year-on-year basis, the overall BSI outlook on business conditions and domestic demand does not look very promising