SMEs expect lower turnover in 2018; sentiment weighed down by trade war: survey

Singapore

MORE small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore are expecting a decline in turnover this year, citing the challenging business environment as the main culprit for the dampened outlook, weighed down at least partially by the US-China trade war.

The 2018 SME Development Survey by DP Info found that 15 per cent of SMEs project revenues to fall this year, up from 11 per cent in 2017, and 12 per cent in 2016. Only two in five SMEs expect turnover growth in 2018.