LAHORE - Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) shared the results of its Business Confidence Index (BCI) Survey – Wave 15, which shows that the overall business confidence in Pakistan stands at 21 percent positive, a significant improvement over the 13 percent recorded in the Wave 14 results announced in May 2017.

This 8 percent improvement reflects a major turnaround after negative trends recorded in the last two surveys – wave 13 and 14, respectively – indicating that the business community is once again bullish and increasingly confident of the investment opportunities available in Pakistan.

The survey results were largely influenced by the retail and wholesale trade sector which led the upswing with 40 percent positive sentiment, recording 27 percent improvement as compared to Wave 14. The manufacturing sector followed with a confidence level of positive 16 percent showing a substantial net increase of 7 percent, while the service sector at 15 percent net positive sentiment recorded a marginal decline of 3 percent as compared to the Wave 14 survey.

OICCI BCI survey, conducted every six months, is a comprehensive review of both local and global business aspects and is indicative of the direction in which the economy is moving based on the perceptions of key stakeholders of the business community.