The Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam published its Business Sentiment Index for July 2026 under a revised methodology that uses the full 0.0 to 100.0 scale and treats readings from 45.0 to 55.0 as neutral. The headline Current Business Conditions index was 59.9, indicating optimism compared with June, while the one month ahead reading of 45.1 pointed to broadly stable conditions in August. Historical data have been recalculated under the revised approach to maintain comparability, without changing the economic interpretation of past results. July optimism reflected expectations of increased project activity, customer orders, production and sales linked to the sultan’s 80th birthday celebrations. Investment sentiment remained strong, with readings of 75.9 for July, 77.7 one month ahead and 76.2 three months ahead. Employment was broadly stable at 49.4, while operating costs declined with a reading of 32.3 but were expected to rise in August, when the index reached 59.0. Oil and gas related businesses recorded the strongest sector reading at 64.4, followed by transport and communication at 62.8 and hotels and restaurants at 61.2. Other private services and agriculture, forestry, fisheries and livestock were pessimistic at 39.4 and 40.3, respectively. Large businesses were optimistic at 61.6, while small businesses recorded a pessimistic 36.4 amid increased competition and weaker consumer demand.
Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam revises Business Sentiment Index methodology, reports July business optimism
The Central Bank of Brunei Darussalam revised its Business Sentiment Index methodology to use the full 0.0 to 100.0 scale and a neutral range of 45.0 to 55.0, with historical data recalculated for comparability. The July headline reading of 59.9 indicated optimism, while businesses expected stable conditions in August and continued strong investment. Employment remained broadly stable, and operating costs were expected to rise after declining in July.