World

Mauritius business confidence up in Q1

Published May 2, 2018 Updated May 2, 2018 02:34pm

The Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry's quarterly confidence index climbed 4.1 percent to 128.1 points, the first time increases have been sustained for more than four quarters since the indicator was launched in 2011.

"We continue to notice successive increases in the business confidence indicator since the last quarter of 2016, indicating a positive optimism (among) entrepreneurs, who consider that globally the economic situation has been improving," the Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

Mauritius' economy grew by an estimated 3.8 percent in 2017, the same as 2016. The statistics office said the economy was likely to expand by 3.9 percent this year, driven by the construction sector.

With a population of 1.3 million, Mauritius' $14 billion-a-year economy relies on services like tourism and financial services. Its main trade partners include India and Britain.

Copyright Reuters, 2018