ASIA PACIFIC BUSINESS LEADERS' CONFIDENCE HITS THREE YEAR HIGH DESPITE TRADE FRICTIONS

• APEC business investments increasing – Vietnam popular destination for new funds

• 63% of APEC CEOs expect global footprint to expand in next three years

• Concern rising on potential restrictions on labour mobility and movement of goods

• 58% of CEOs investing in automation

DA NANG, Vietnam, Nov 8 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Confidence in revenue growth is at its highest level for three years amongst business leaders in 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation’s (APEC) economies. 37% of APEC CEOs are very confident of revenue growth during the next 12 months, up from 28% in 2016 despite trade policy uncertainty and related political tensions in many of the economies that make up APEC. PwC surveyed over 1,400 business leaders with responsibility in each of the 21 APEC economies in the run up to the annual APEC CEO Summit in Vietnam. In the next year, a net 50% of businesses surveyed by PwC will increase their global investments (including those outside the APEC region), up from 43% last year, as APEC businesses increase their foothold and influence on the global economy. 71% of those surveyed who are raising investment will direct those increases into APEC economies in 2018, and 63% of all APEC CEOs expect their broader global footprint to expand over the next three years. The biggest domestic investment winners will be Vietnam, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Vietnam, China, Indonesia, the US and Thailand are the top APEC targets for business leaders’ overseas investment. 89% of Malaysian CEOs and 86% of Viet Nam CEOs expect to expand globally. http://mrem.bernama.com/viewsm.php?idm=30499