China's business climate index, a main measurement of macro-economic outlook, rose by 10.3 points in the second quarter from the previous quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.

The quarterly business climate index climbed from 105.6 in the first quarter this year to 115.9, the NBS said. In the first quarter, the index slipped to 105.6 from 107 at the end of last year.

The index ranges from zero to 200. A reading above 100 shows economic expansion, while a reading below 100 indicates contraction. The survey began in 1998.

The index for the industrial sector rose from 99.8 in the first quarter this year to 112. The real estate sector index increased 18.7 points in the second quarter after falling for five straight quarters.

The entrepreneur confidence index, a gauge of the understanding, views and projections of business people, rose 9.1 points from three months ago to 110.2 in the second quarter.

The optimism of entrepreneurs reflected improvements in the country's economic development and indicated enterprise investment would increase in the future, the NBS said.

The index, however, was still 30.4 points lower than the peak in the first quarter of last year.

The index reflecting confidence in sectors such as the industrial sector, construction, real estate, transportation and retail all climbed in the second quarter from the previous quarter.

The figures were based on a survey of 19,500 companies nationwide.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2009)