HK business expectation up in Q2: survey

Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department Friday released the results of the Quarterly Business Tendency Survey for the second quarter (Q2) of 2013, showing more respondents expect their business situation to be better in Q2 over Q1 of 2013.

For all surveyed sectors taken together, the results revealed that 21 percent of the respondents expected their business situation to be better, as compared to the 12 percent who expected it to be worse, in Q2 2013 over Q1 2013.

When compared with the results of the Q1 2013 survey round, the proportion of respondents expecting their business situation in Q2 2013 to be better than that in the preceding quarter has increased to 21 percent, as compared with 15 percent in Q1 2013.

Analyzed by sector, significantly more respondents in the sectors of financing and insurance; and information and communications expect their business situation to be better, as compared to those expecting it to be worse, in Q2 2013 over Q1 2013.

A spokesman of the department cautioned that the results of the survey should be interpreted with care.

"In this type of survey on expectations, the views collected in the survey are affected by the events in the community occurring around the time of enumeration, and it is difficult to establish precisely the extent to which respondents' perception of the future accords with the underlying trends," he said.

The enumeration period for this survey round was from March 8, 2013 to April 15, 2013.