[THE INVESTOR] South Korean manufacturers’ business sentiments will remain weak next month, central bank data showed on July 29.

The business survey index of manufacturing firms here came to 71 for the upcoming month, down from 72 for July, according to the Bank of Korea.

The BSI for August marks the lowest level since 70 registered for April. A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists, while a reading below the benchmark means the opposite.

An index measuring local firms’ sentiment toward exports came to 85 for August, down from 86 in the previous month.

A separate index for domestic sales stood at 81 for next month, unchanged from the previous month.

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