Chile: Business confidence falls to one year low in December
Business confidence came in at 35.7 in December, down from November’s 42.7. December’s result marked the weakest sentiment since December 2022. As a result, the index remained below the 50-point threshold, indicating pessimism among businesses.
December’s fall was driven by weakening sentiment in the construction, mining and industrial sectors.
Downbeat business sentiment in 2023 is likely to have translated into a decline in fixed investment over the year as a whole. Concerns over the global economic outlook, high domestic interest rates, the lack of clarity regarding the new constitution and the government’s push to raise taxes have weighed on sentiment.