Issue 56 July – September 2020 (COVID-19 Special)

This is the second issue of the Business Barometer under COVID-19. It aims to follow up and capture the impact of the pandemic on the business community, given the government measures adopted in response to the crisis in order to reduce the decline in economic activity. The Business Barometer Index (BBI) improved during Q1 FY 2020/2021 (July – September 2020), recording 53 points. This could be attributed to businesses’ efforts to maintain their presence in the market despite the losses they experienced during Q4 FY2019/2020 (April-June 2020), which saw the peak of the outbreak and the adoption of precautionary measures aimed at containing the virus and preventing its spread. This issue also highlights certain obstacles and challenges that faced businesses during the past quarter (July-September 2020), and the needed measures in the coming period.