OREANDA-NEWS. October 04, 2011. For the first time was Bank SNORAS index announced which reflects expectations of Lithuanian businessmen concerning prospects of their manageable companies within the nearest six months, reported the press-centre of Bank SNORAS.

Presently the index value reaches +5.2 and shows a moderate optimism of the business representatives. The greatest impact on the general positive index indicator was made by the plans to invest in the technological innovations and employees' training, while the heads of companies give the poorest assessment to the changes of sales and profit (+1.1). Bank SNORAS business expectation index is planned to be announced on a quarterly basis every year.

“Lithuanian businessmen, seeing the unclear prospects of the economy growth, so far carefully evaluate the future of their manageable companies. Furthermore, business representatives are not sure whether the difficult economic period has ended. While assessing according to the size of a company, large companies evaluate their prospects optimistically within the nearest six months, while small and medium business companies are more pessimistic,” states Modestas Keliauskas, the director of Bank SNORAS Corporate Business Division, the deputy chairman of the Board.

According to him, Bank SNORAS index is distinguished that the situation of specific national companies is evaluated, without including their expectations about the general Lithuanian economic status.

Four subindexes, which comprise Bank SNORAS index, are currently positive.  The largest is the subindex (+9.8) of the qualitative development, which includes the company's investments in technological innovations and the employees' training. According to M. Keliauskas, business seeks innovative solutions and devotes more attention to employees' competence so that it would gain the competitive advantage. The value of the qualitative development subindex is mostly conditioned by the large companies' optimism (+20.3), while the segment of small and medium business is rather moderate – the values of their subindexes seek +3.8 and +3.1 respectively.
 
Business positively assesses the possibilities of investment financing, while the value of this subindex seeks +5.6. “The values of the indicators forming the subindex of both possibilities of business financing are similar – the indicator of the possibilities to finance investments by the funds of the company or shareholders seeks +6.8, while by the funds of the bank – +4.4. Large companies assess the financing possibilities better, while the medium size companies are not so optimistic,” says the director of Bank SNORAS Corporate Business Division, the deputy chairman of the Board.

62 per cent of the surveyed companies' managers are inclined to think that the possibilities of their manageable companies to borrow money from the bank within the nearest six months will not change, whereas 5 per cent of the polled responded that the possibilities to borrow money will more or less and considerably increase. 12 per cent of the respondents stated that the possibilities to borrow money from the bank would more or less and greatly decrease, while 21 per cent of the companies' managers do not know whether the situation will change. Representatives of larger companies evaluate the possibilities of borrowing money from the bank more optimistically.

The value of the subindex of the qualitative development, which includes the companies' intentions to invest in technical potencies and increasing of the number of employees, seeks +4.4. “The positive value of this subindex is conditioned by the companies' intentions to invest in technical potencies (+10.5), while the companies are not so optimistic (-1.7) about increasing of the number of employees.  Quantitative development is more often planned by large companies, small ones hope to maintain the present situation, whereas the medium-size companies also plan a slight shrinking,” says M. Keliauskas.

The subindex of sales and profit is only insignificantly positive (+1.1). According to the director of Bank SNORAS Corporate Business Division, within the nearest half of the year business tends to trust sales which will grow (+2.9); however, the profit change forecasts are less optimistic (-0.8).  Small and medium companies evaluate the nearest half of the year pessimistically in this respect – the values of their subindex (-11.2 and -6.3 accordingly) show a downfall, whereas expectations of large companies' managers remain positive (+19.3).
 
302 companies from all over Lithuania participated in the survey of the Lithuanian business companies. The survey was performed on 1-20 September 2011 via Computer Assisted Telephone Interview, CATI. The survey was carried out by “Spinter tyrimai” – the company of public opinion and market research.