Domestic manufacturers have projected that sluggish business trends will continue into the fourth quarter.

The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) announced that the Business Survey Index (BSI) for the fourth quarter stood at 97, remaining at the same level as the previous quarter, based on a survey of 1,500 manufacturing companies conducted from September 7 to 18.

Based on 100, the closer the BSI is to 200, the more it implies an increase (improvement) compared to the previous quarter, while a figure closer to 0 indicates a decrease (deterioration).

A business condition index below 100 means that more companies expect business conditions to worsen than those expecting them to improve.

Outlook figures by category also showed patterns similar to or slightly slower than the previous quarter.

Specifically, outlook figures for sales (99 in the third quarter to 97 in the fourth quarter), exports (101 to 100), and facility investment (100 to 99) declined, while outlook figures for inventories (99) and ordinary income (95) each rose by 1 point.

Looking at the fourth quarter sales outlook by industry, wireless communication devices (103) and displays (102) exceeded 100.

While semiconductors, chemicals (both 99), automobiles, shipbuilding, and bio-health (all 97) showed relatively high levels, steel (91) and textiles (89) remained at low levels.

By sales scale, large enterprises (104) had high expectations for business improvement, whereas small and medium-sized enterprises (95) had lower expectations.

In a pending issue survey (multiple responses) asking about the factors having the most negative impact on business activities, manufacturers most frequently cited "increased burden of raw material costs" (53%), followed by "weak domestic demand and inventory buildup" (38%), and "persistence of external uncertainties" (36%).