Page 25 - bne IntelliNews Country Report: Russia Dec17

2.10 Russian business and consumer confidence
The Russian business confidence index increased 6%age points in November compared with December 2016 in the mineral production industry and 4%age points in the processing industry, the Federal State Statistics Service said in a statement on November 26 citing a poll of more than 3,000 companies.
“The business confidence index, which reflects generalized entrepreneurs’ behaviour, increased to minus 1% in November 2017 from minus 7% in December 2016 in the mineral production sector, and to minus 4% from minus 8% in the processing industry, but fell to 5% from 6% in provision of power, gas and steam, and in air conditioning,” the statement read.
The economic situation in a company was deemed positive by 11% of managers and satisfactory by 75% of managers in the mineral production industry, while the figures for the processing industry stood at 9% and 75%, respectively. The amount of people seeing the current economic situation as bad exceeded the amount of optimists by 1%age point in mineral production and by 6%age points in the processing industry.
Improvement of the situation in the mineral extraction industry in the next six months was expected by 21% of respondents, 11%age points more than the number of respondents forecasting a worse situation. The number of optimists in the processing sector stood at 26% of respondents, 18%age points more than the amount of pessimists.
The sentiment among Russian businesses improved to its highest level since June 2013 and regained its pre-crisis levels, according to the IHS Markit
25 RUSSIA Country Report December 2017 www.intellinews.com