Managers expect manufacturing, construction and retail prices to grow in the coming months

 Romanian managers expect the activity in the manufacturing industry, retail trade and services to stay relatively stable between November 2023 - January 2024, anticipating also an increase in manufacturing, construction and retail prices, shows data released on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).According to the November 2023 short-term business survey, managers in the manufacturing industry expect a relative stability of the production volume over the next three months (short-term balance -1 percent). The number of employees is seen staying relatively constant, with a short-term balance at -4 percent, while industrial product prices are forecast to grow in the next three months (short-term balance +16 percent).The volume of construction works is expected to shrink in the next three months (short-term balance -21 percent), and the number of employees in the sector is projected to slide (short-term balance -7 percent). The prices of construction works are expected to increase (short-term balance +27 percent).In the retail trade sector, the managers bet on a relative stability of the economic activity in the next three months (short-term balance +4 percent). The volume of orders to the suppliers of goods is seen flatlining (short-term balance +4 percent). For the next three months, the respondents forecast a moderate increase in the number of employees (short-term balance +12 percent). Also, the managers of trading companies estimate that retail prices will go up (short-term balance +30 percent).According to November 2023 projections, the demand for services (turnover) will keep relatively stable in the next three months (short-term balance 0 percent), as will the number of employees (short-term balance -3 percent). According to the managers' opinion, the sales or invoicing prices for services will follow a moderate growth trend (short-term balance +10 percent).The INS specifies that the short-term balance reflects the perception of business managers of the dynamics of a phenomenon and should not be mixed up with the increase or decrease rate of any statistical indicator produced by the statistical authority. The short-term percentage balance represents the difference between the percentage of managers who chose the positive trend of the phenomenon and the percentage of those who indicated the negative trend.