Encuesta de Opinión Empresarial. Resultados marzo de 2023

Abstract

In March 2023, the Retail Confidence Index stood at 17.2%, which represents an increase of 4.4 percentage points compared to the previous month (February 2023 RCI: 12.7%). The indicator's result was explained by a 1.2 percentage point decrease in stock levels compared to the previous month. Similarly, the favorable perception of the economy for the next semester, which increased 16,0 percentage points, positively affected the indicator. However, the sentiment about the current situation in the company decreased by 3.9 percentage points. In addition, the Industrial Confidence Index (ICI) stood at 3.5% for the month of March 2023, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous month. The negative monthly variation in industrial confidence in March is explained by a 1.4 percentage point decrease in the current volume of orders and a 2.3 percentage point increase in stock levels. However, there is more optimism about the production expectations for the next quarter, which increased by 1.4 percentage points. The employment generation expectations of the industrial sector for the next quarter decreased by 1.3 percentage points compared to the October-December quarter (0.7% in March vs 2.0% in December 2022). On the other hand, the perception of industrialists regarding the presence of smuggling activities was -4.4%, which represents a 13.1 percentage points decrease compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2022.