Chile: Business confidence improves but remains in pessimistic territory in July
Business confidence came in at 41.1 in July, up from June’s 39.5. As such, the index remained entrenched below the 50-point threshold, indicating pessimism among businesses. Lower inflation and the start of the Central Bank’s easing cycle likely boosted sentiment in the month. That said, businesses remained downbeat overall, which continues to bode poorly for fixed investment.
Looking at the details of July’s release, sentiment in the retail, industrial, construction and mining sectors improved. However, only mining firms were broadly optimistic.