SOUTH Africa’s business confidence slipped in the third quarter as sentiment among building contractors deteriorated due to shortages of some materials, load-shedding and planning delays, a survey showed on Wednesday.
A survey by the Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and compiled by the Bureau for Economic Research showed the business confidence index (BCI) slipped to 39 points in the third quarter, from 42 points in the previous three months.
“While on the face of it this is a disappointing outcome, the underlying picture is not as bad as the lower BCI implies,” according to the survey of about 1 200 senior executives at companies across the country.
South African business confidence has been stuck in the low 40s since mid-2021 due a string of shocks ranging from labour strikes to war and floods.
It is unlikely the fall in the BCI points to another outright contraction in real GDP, the survey
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