Business climate indicator: key tool for economic assessment
The Business Climate Indicator, based on Business Tendency Surveys, is an updated tool for assessing the state of the economy. This handbook explains how these surveys gather manager insights for economic analysis and forecasting.
Capturing real-time business sentiment
Business Tendency Surveys (BTS), also known as business opinion or business climate surveys, gather insights from company managers on their current situation, plans, and near-future expectations.
These surveys provide valuable, albeit qualitative, information for economic policymakers and analysts, proving particularly useful for business cycle analysis.
The OECD, in collaboration with the European Commission, developed a harmonised system for BTS across manufacturing, construction, trade, and service sectors.
This handbook, drawing on over two decades of OECD experience, serves as a practical guide for the design, implementation, and interpretation of these surveys, facilitating their use in economic analysis and forecasting.
A global standard for economic insight
The OECD's Centre for Co-operation with Non-Members (CCNM) actively disseminates the harmonised BTS system globally.
It fosters policy dialogue and technical assistance with approximately 70 non-member economies, extending the OECD's expertise and best practices.
This co-operative approach enables a wide array of countries to implement and benefit from these surveys for short-term economic analysis.
Such efforts align with the OECD's foundational objectives to promote sustainable economic growth, employment, and financial stability in both member and non-member countries.