‘PH firms more positive about growth prospects’

Companies in the Philippines are more optimistic about their growth prospects than their overseas counterparts as they expect global trade to improve next year, results of an HSBC survey showed on Tuesday.

Citing the latest HSBC Navigator poll, HSBC Philippines said in a statement that “the outlook for international trade is promising, with Philippine companies showing significantly more confidence” — 41 percent of them — “than those globally (19 percent) and across [the] Asia-Pacific (APAC) (16 percent)” despite most “businesses reporting that international trade was becoming more difficult.”