Norwegian business leaders' outlook for industry remained unchanged in the second quarter from the first but is still positive, a Statistics Norway survey showed on Wednesday.
The Business Tendency Survey maps out industrial managers' view of the business situation and outlook for variables such as production volume, employment, new orders, utilisation of capacity and bottlenecks in production.
"Production in the manufacturing industry rose throughout the second quarter of 2004, but the average capacity utilisation indicates only a moderate level of activity," Statistics Norway (SSB) said in a statement.
Average capacity utilisation - a measure of how fully industrial plant is employed - was estimated at 79 percent by the end of the second quarter, SSB said.
"The general outlook in the short run (third quarter of 2004) is considered positive. This view is supported by expectations of further growth in capacity utilisation, new orders and home market prices," it said. The seasonally adjusted business tendency indicator was unchanged in the second quarter from the first at 10, after having risen from six in the fourth quarter and from three in the third quarter last year.