Pakistan BCI rises past 48 points in June 2026

June 16, 2026 (MLN): The overall Business Confidence Index (BCI) rose by 1.4 points to 48.2 in June 2026, the latest results of the Business Confidence Survey (BCS), conducted by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in collaboration with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), showed.

The survey, conducted during June 2026 with a total of 512 respondents, showed confidence improving across both the Industry and Services sectors.

The BCI for the Industry sector rose by 1.2 points to 46.1, while the Services sector BCI gained 1.4 points to 48.8.

Current Business Confidence

The Current Business Confidence Index (CBCI), which reflects general economic conditions over the past six months, posted a fall of 0.1 points to 44.2 in June 2026.

Expected Business Confidence

The Expected Business Confidence Index (EBCI), which captures businesses' outlook for economic and business conditions over the next six months, climbed 2.9 points to 52.1 in June 2026.

Purchasing Managers Index

The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) edged up by 0.3 points to 50.2 in June 2026, maintaining its position marginally above the neutral threshold following a dip in the previous wave.

Among its sub-components, however, Business Activity slipped to 47.7, Total Employees eased to 47.9, Order Books fell to 49.8, but Raw Material Purchases went up to 53.9.

Inflation Expectations

Businesses' inflation expectations eased in June 2026 to 8.4 at the aggregate level.

The proportion of businesses expecting higher prices declined to 69% from 71% in the previous wave.

At the sector level, inflation expectations in the Industry sector fell from 70.9% to 68.9%, the Services sector also recorded a fall from 71.2% to 69.2%.

Employment

Employment sentiment softened marginally in June 2026.

The Current Employment Index declined to 50.1 from 51.4 in May, hovering just above the neutral mark.

The Expected Employment Index, however, held steady at 53.2, indicating continued optimism around near-term hiring activity.

Capacity Utilization

The Average Current Capacity Utilization (ACCU) of the Manufacturing sector rose to 67.1% in June 2026 from 65.4% in the previous wave, reflecting an improvement in industrial activity and productive capacity utilization.

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