{
  "id": 4359951,
  "title": "SME biz sentiment up for 2nd month for Sept. but still below par",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/sme-biz-sentiment-up-for-2nd-month-for-sept-but-still-below-par-4359951",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-30T06:37:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20260830/sme-biz-sentiment-up-for-2nd-month-for-sept-but-still-below-par"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korean smaller companies saw a rise in business outlook for the second month in September, according to a poll conducted by the Korea Federation of SMEs. The Small Business Health Index (SBHI) for the upcoming month stood at 84.8, a 4.8-point increase from the previous month's 80. The index has been rising for two consecutive months, moving from 80 in August to the current 84.8. A reading below 100 suggests that the pessimists outweigh the optimists. The manufacturing sector had an SBHI of 87.1 for September, up 7 points from the prior month, while nonmanufacturing companies experienced a 3.7-point rise to 83.7.\n\nOver 50% of the respondents cited sluggish sales as the primary challenge to their businesses, followed by rising raw material costs at 41% and intense competition at 31.4%. High labor costs were another concern, cited by 27.8% of the respondents. The average capacity utilization rate of manufacturing SMEs stood at 75.2% in July, a 0.7 percentage point decrease from the previous month.",
  "summary": "Korean smaller companies' business outlook rose for the second consecutive month for September but still remains below par, a poll showed Sunday. The survey of 3,060 small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) said the small business health index (SBHI) came to 84.8 for next month, up 4.8 points from August, according to the Korea Federation of SMEs. The index rose for two straight months since it…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "SME biz sentiment up for 2nd month for Sept. but still below par",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/sme-biz-sentiment-up-for-2nd-month-for-sept-but-still-below-par-4360475",
        "published": "2026-08-30T06:02:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "SME biz sentiment up for 2nd month for Sept. but still below par",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/sme-biz-sentiment-up-for-2nd-month-for-sept-but-still-below-par",
        "published": "2026-08-30T06:32:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}