SINGAPORE – Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Republic are generally positive about their business outlook in the near term, according to an index compiled by OCBC Bank that was launched on Thursday.
This index gave the business outlook for SMEs in 4Q 2022 an overall reading of 50.2 points, remaining slightly expansionary for the eighth consecutive quarter. This was a slight dip from 51.9 registered in the third quarter in 2022.
A reading over 50 indicates improved business health for SMEs, while one below 50 suggests a deterioration relative to the same period a year earlier.
OCBC first released the index in 2021, and publishes the data after every quarter.
OCBC, which serves around half the SMEs here, compiles the index from data supplied by more than 100,000 firms with up to $30 million in annual turnover. The index is based on a composite of six indicators – collections, payments, cash flow, credit and debit…
