The Standard Chartered Hong Kong SME Leading Business Index, which reflects the confidence of small and medium enterprises, rose 7.7 points to 37.5 for the fourth quarter, the Hong Kong Productivity Council announced. "The worst is over," Lau said, adding that the economy should recover in the first quarter in 2021. All five component sub-indices continued to rise during the last two quarters, among which "Global Economy" jumped to 23.2 in Q4 from 7.9 in the previous quarter. "Profit Margin" was up by 11.6 points to 28.9 points while "Business Condition" also surged by 10.9 points to 30.3 points. "Investment Sentiment" enjoyed an increase of 5.2 points to 44.3 points as "Recruitment Sentiment" remained flat at around 48.9.

Source: The Standard November 11, 2020 08:26 UTC