Astana, 6 September 2024 (TDI): Kazakhstan’s Business Activity Index (BAI) continued its positive trend, rising to 51.4 in August from 50.9 in July, according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan’s monthly survey of enterprises.
The improvement was observed across all sectors, with the most significant increase in the mining industry, where a notable rise in new orders pushed the index into the growth zone at 52.2, up from 49.8 in July.
Other sectors also showed slight improvements: the index for production increased to 51.8 (from 51.7 in July), services rose to 51.1 (from 51.0), and construction reached 50.6 (from 50.4).
Business activity improved in ten regions but declined in eight.
The highest index value was recorded in the Abai Region at 58.4, while the lowest was in the Aktobe Region at 44.6.
While the current business conditions saw a slight decrease in assessment, optimism about future business conditions improved.
Demand for products and services continued to grow, although at a slower rate than before.
August saw an increase in demand in all sectors, particularly in mining and construction, whereas the service and production sectors experienced a slowdown in demand growth.
Slowdown in Production Sector
The production sector has faced this slowdown since June.
Enterprises expressed concerns about business protection issues, while other factors such as the tax burden, infrastructure, and access to finance were rated almost neutrally.
The BAI is a key indicator that reflects the state of the real sector of the economy, providing insights into economic trends and turning points in the business cycle.
The survey gathers responses from enterprises regarding actual changes in economic indicators and their expectations for the future.
