Business forecasts in La Plata show contradictory behavior. The Business Expectations Index, prepared by the Sectoral and Regional Development Laboratory of the UNLP Faculty of Economics, in October indicated a two percent improvement compared to the previous quarter, but also recorded a nine percent decline compared to the same month in 2024.
The discrepancy reaffirms a feature that surprises specialists: after eleven consecutive quarters of declining sales, the general assessment of the economic scenario maintains a certain level of stability, although more pronounced brakes in investment decisions are beginning to be detected.
The study indicates that investment is the most deteriorating variable. Its performance was at the same level as the general index, which means a decline for the component that has historically moved above the average.
Among merchants and service entrepreneurs, there is concern about the lack of demand, although inflation is no longer primarily among the obstacles they face. Only 27% mentioned this as a problem in October, much less than the 67% who mentioned it two years ago. On the other hand, reference to public service costs and tax pressures has increased.
Sales expectations maintain a positive, albeit more fragile, balance. 47% of participants expect an increase in the next quarter and 8% expect a decrease. The net spread remains in favorable territory, but is declining compared to the previous period.
In any case, sales continue to exceed the general level of the index and confirm the importance of consumption in the city’s economic activity.
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