Data on industrial output for November is out... and it shows output has risen slightly compared to the same period last year.<br />However, things were not looking so good for the country's business sentiment.<br />Kim Ji-yeon tells us more. <br />Industrial output across all sectors in South Korea edged up zero-point-two-percent in November compared to the same month last year.<br />Statistics Korea says the on-year increase is mainly due to an improvement in the services sector... which ticked up one percent last month.<br />The agency also cited output in the mining and manufacturing sectors,... which edged up by a mere zero-point-one-percent on-year in November.<br />However, facility investment plunged by the fastest pace in five years... dipping ten percent compared to the same period last year.<br />This is mainly due to a drop in semiconductor shipments which decreased by more than 16-percent on-month.<br />Retail sales increased by one-percent on-year, with cosmetics, entertainment and home appliances sales seeing the biggest gains.<br />But the prospects for industries ahead of the New Year look grim.<br />Data released by the Bank of Korea shows the business sentiment index for December has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years.<br />The index dropped two points from the previous month to 72.<br />A reading below 100 means there are more pessimists than optimists on the local economy.<br />A central bank official cited a sharp drop in sentiment among businesses in the chemical sector as the reason for the fall.<br />Chemical businesses said demand for their goods had slowed amid the China-U.S. trade war. <br />The prolonged slump in the construction and auto sectors also drove down sentiment in the metal industries.<br />Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News. <br />
