South Korea’s business sentiment dipped for second consecutive month in August amid dim prospects for the U.S. economy, a central bank poll showed Wednesday.

Local companies’ business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 92.5 this month, down from 95.1 the previous month following the 95.7 in June, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea.

The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The central bank said business sentiment declined amid U.S. economic woes and the subsequent stock market rout.

The BSI for manufacturers came to 92.8 this month, down from 95.7 the previous month. The index for nonmanufacturing firms came in at 92.2, down from 94.6 over the cited period, the data showed.

Source: Yonhap News Agency