BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar.9
Trend:
The business activity index in Kazakhstan in February 2021 rose by 0.6 points up to 49 compared to the previous month, Trend reports referring to Kazinform.
The largest increase was recorded in the services sector, where the index grew from 47.4 (recorded in January) to 49.2. In the construction sector, the indicator fell to 47.4 (against 51.1 in January), and in the industry - to 49 (from 49.4 in January).
"In terms of regions, in February, business activity indicators improved in the North Kazakhstan region (54) and in Nur-Sultan (52.5), and decreased in the Turkestan region (42.6). Current business conditions for enterprises of the real sector in February were assessed as neutral,” Zhandos Shaimardanov, director of Monetary Policy Department under the National Bank of Kazakhstan said.
“According to the survey, in general, infrastructure, access to finance and loans, as well as business protection have improved. At the same time, the demand for products/services and the tax burden remain factors that have a negative impact on the business environment," he added.
The enterprises' expectations for the next 6 months are more optimistic: the assessment of future conditions made up 24. As a result, the business climate index in February was 11.9 against 6 in January.
In February 2021, total of 457 enterprises participated in the survey, including 66 construction, 175 - industrial, and 216 – operating in the services sector.