Business confidence increased by double-digit levels while consumer confidence inched slightly higher for the third quarter of 2022, reflecting the reopening of the economy.

Business leaders from the financial, entertainment, hardware and tourism sectors endorsed the optimism captured in confidence survey on Tuesday amid expectations of investment.

Business confidence at 147.4 points in the third quarter grew by 18.3 per cent over the second quarter. Consumer confidence at 162.6 points in the third quarter increased by 4.2 percentage points over the second quarter.

“We have apparently come out of the pandemic and its challenges, and there is a considerable degree of optimism going forward. The third quarter data points in that direction,” said Don Anderson, executive chairman of Market Research Services Limited at an online press conference on Tuesday during the release of the JCC Business & Consumer Indices. Anderson’s firm conducts the confidence surveys on behalf of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and the Jamaica Conference Board.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20221026/business-confidence-dramatically