GUS survey reveals worsening of the business situation in September

Data published by the Central Statistical Office (GUS) indicate a worsening of the economic climate in September. Only 15% of some 10,000 companies surveyed claimed that the general conditions for economic activity were better than in August, whereas 29% saw them as worse. The pessimism was particularly prevalent in the public sector, especially among producers of chemical goods, food, furniture, and plastics. Most companies said they were suffering from a continuing fall in demand, which had a knock-on effect on production. Based on the companies' responses, GUS calculated the index of retail trade at minus 20 points, significantly worse than the minus 4 recorded in August. A less severe decline was recorded by the construction sector, where the index remained positive, although at a lower 5 compared to 9 in August. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 1) M.K.