Korea: Manufacturers expect business conditions to ease in December
Business conditions in the manufacturing sector are expect to fall to 68.0 in December from November’s 69.0, according to a survey of manufacturers conducted in November by the statistical office. As a result, sentiment moved further below the 100-threshold that separates pessimism from optimism among manufacturers.
The decline was driven by worsening sentiment among domestically-orientated firms, with activity in the Korean economy likely continuing to be weighed on by high interest rates. More positively, sentiment among export-orientated firms improved for the second consecutive month, potentially connected with the above-expectations growth in exports seen in November.