Sentiment & polls · Business
As at 13 October 2026 · official data unless labelled
How do firms feel, and is the economy giving them reason to?
Business confidence (OECD harmonised index)
August 2026Business confidence was 99.9 in August 2026, up 0.04 points on the previous reading (99.9).
The benchmark is 100, the index's long-run average: above 100 means firms are more confident than usual, below 100 less. The latest reading is 0.08 below it.
It is close to its 10-year average of 100.7.
Across 34 OECD countries (August 2026), Australia ranks 18th best of 34 on business confidence (OECD harmonised index), below the median of 100.1.
Why it matters. How manufacturers see production, orders and stocks of finished goods, harmonised by the OECD from national business surveys and scaled so each country's long-run average is 100. It tends to turn before investment and hiring do.
What's driving it
2 of 4 under pressureOn target or better than usualWorse than usualOutside the target bandA level, neither better nor worseBars show how far each reading sits from its benchmark: left of centre below it, right above it.