Chile: Business confidence ticks down in March
The business confidence index (IMCE, Indicador Mensual de Confianza Empresarial) published by ICARE and the Adolfo Ibáñez University edged down to 54.0 points in March, from the 54.2 points recorded in February. The index thus remained above the crucial 50-point threshold that separates optimism from pessimism among Chilean businesses.
The slight decline was underpinned by a deterioration in two out of the four sectors included in the index. Notably, confidence in the industrial sector dipped into negative territory in March. Meanwhile, sentiment in the commercial sector decreased, although remained positive nonetheless. In contrast, the construction sector turned optimistic, while sentiment in the mining sector edged further up into positive territory.