SANTO DOMINGO – An entrepreneur's investment confidence is not a matter of luck, but rather is based on statistics, studies, and results that can guarantee a potential investment. That is why the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD) reported that the Industrial Confidence Index (ICI) reached 56.4 points, while the Business Climate Index (ICE) reached 55.9 points during the second quarter of 2026.
These results reflect a favorable perception among entrepreneurs regarding the conditions for developing their productive activities and conducting business.
What do these statistics mean for the business sector?
According to the Industrial Situation Survey (ECI), prepared by the AIRD, the ICI measures the perceptions of business owners on aspects related to sales compared to the previous quarter, production expectations and inventory levels of finished products.
In practical terms, when this indicator remains above 50 points, it reflects a positive perception within the productive sector. This can translate into greater confidence in making decisions related to investment, production, and expansion.
Production results and inventories
According to the document, between April 1 and June 30, the production volume balance stood at 58.2 points compared to the previous quarter. For the July-September period, expectations increased to 63.5 points, indicating a favorable outlook for industrial activity.
Sales results
As for sales, the results were also positive. During the April-June period, the balance reached 59.9 points compared to the previous quarter, while year-on-year it stood at 62.8 points.
Likewise, sales expectations for the third quarter of 2026 reached 63.3 points, reflecting an optimistic view among business owners regarding commercial performance in the following months.
Regarding inventories, the sales balance, at 59.9 points, was higher than that of production, at 58.2 points, compared to the January-March quarter of 2026. This difference contributed to increasing the proportion of companies that considered their inventory levels insufficient, which went from 6.0% to 19.0%.
What does the Business Climate Index mean?
Unlike the work climate, which refers to the atmosphere within an organization and the relationships between its workers, the AIRD Business Climate Index (ICE) measures the perception of business owners about the economic and business conditions in which they carry out their activities.
This indicator takes into account factors such as the state of the Dominican economy, the performance of the international economy, the production sector, the investment climate, and the specific situation of companies.
During the second quarter of 2026, the ICE stood at 55.9 points, above the 53.0 points** recorded at the close of the previous quarter.
Among the variables that make up the indicator, the perception of the Dominican economy went from 52.0 to 53.2 points, while the assessment of the international economy increased from 41.0 to 50.5 points.
Meanwhile, the variable corresponding to the production sector reached 57.8 points; the investment climate stood at 55.4, and the company's situation reached 62.5 points. All these variables remained above the 50-point threshold.
Expectations for the period July-September 2026 also show values higher than 50 in the five factors considered by the index, according to the results presented in the survey tables.
Overall, the data reflect that business leaders maintain a favorable perception of their companies' performance and the conditions for investing, producing, and doing business in the country, although some indicators, such as perceptions of the international economy, still show areas of caution.
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