Rays of hope despite business confidence slump

According to the latest edition of the Bank of Botswana’s Business Expectations Survey, a sample of 100 local businesses revealed that the majority expect sales, profitability, exports of goods and services, investment in vehicles and equipment, investment in buildings, as well as ‘other’ investments to decline in both the first and second quarters of 2020.

 Businesses also expect employment to decline. “The expected deterioration in business confidence during the first half of 2020, is consistent with the perceptions of weaker overall economic growth in the first quarter of 2020, and the overall contraction expected in the second quarter,” the central bank stated.