HONG KONG, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- About one-third of sectors in Hong Kong expected a worsening business outlook in the fourth quarter due to the prolonged unrest, according to a survey released on Friday.
Only 7 percent of respondents in the quarterly business tendency survey anticipated a better business situation in the last quarter than the third quarter, revealed the Census and Statistics Department of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
The proportion of respondents expecting a worse business situation in the fourth quarter jumped from 17 percent as surveyed in the third quarter.
Analyzed by sector, respondents in all the surveyed sectors, except for the information and communications sector, expect a worse business in the last quarter.
In particular, significantly more respondents in the retail, construction, accommodation and food services, transport, storage and courier services, and professional and business services sectors expect their business situation to be worse in the fourth quarter, relative to those expecting a better business situation.
The survey, conducted from Sept. 3 to Oct. 10, covered manufacturing, construction, import/export trade and wholesale, retail, accommodation and food services, transport, storage and courier services, information and communications, financing and insurance, real estate and professional and business services.
The survey collected the short-term views on business performance from the senior management of about 540 prominent establishments in various sectors in Hong Kong.
