Asia business sentiment in Q1 holds steady: poll

Shanghai

CONCERN over a US interest rate hike kept sentiment in check at some of Asia's biggest firms, as optimism about the outlook for business over the next six months was near steady in the first quarter, a Thomson Reuters/Insead survey showed.

The Thomson Reuters/Insead Asian Business Sentiment Index was 71 for the March quarter versus 72 three months earlier. A reading above 50 indicates an overall positive view.