Ukrainian businesses become less optimistic by end of 2017

However, the Business Outlook Survey conducted by the regulator shows that Ukrainian businesses continue to expect a high level of business activity.

Representatives of companies in the processing industry, trade, energy and the water industry, as well as agriculture and the food industry, are most optimistic.

Read alsoUkrainian businesses remain optimistic, trust hryvnia, expect inflation slowdown - NBUAs in the previous five surveys, the CEOs positively evaluate the favorable changes, as well as the financial and economic condition of their companies. Some 88% of the respondents see their financial and economic position as "satisfactory" or "good," while 76% of them expect improvement at their enterprises in the next 12 months.

According to the NBU, for the first time since the launch of the surveys, the enterprises noted their inability to meet the unexpected increase in demand based on their own production facilities. In particular, enterprises of the agricultural and trade sectors experience the most noticeable shortage of capacities.

The enterprises' need for borrowed funds remains significant. The largest demand is observed at mining enterprises (69% of the respondents). The interviewed CEOs who plan to take out bank loans prefer the national currency. Moreover, high rates remain a deterrent to new borrowings.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the index of business expectations of Ukrainian CEOs increased from 114.3% in the second quarter of 2017 to 117.4% in the third quarter of 2017, while the positive trend had been observed for the sixth consecutive quarter since the second quarter of 2016.