(Yicai Global) July 6 -- Chinese entrepreneurs and bankers are showing increased confidence in the country’s economic development, according to a recent survey.

The entrepreneurs’ macroeconomic heat index, a gauge of the enthusiasm among businessmen for the economy, was up 3.1 percentage points in the second quarter from the first quarter to 42.1 percent, according to a report released by the People’s Bank of China yesterday. And that among bankers gained 3.5 points to 45.9 percent.

The bankers' macroeconomic heat index is expected to rise another 2.5 points next quarter to 48.4 percent, according to the quarterly poll which encompasses over 5,000 enterprises, 3,200 banks and around 20,000 urban savers nationwide.

Some 4.6 percent of the entrepreneurs polled believe that the macroeconomy is overheated, an increase of 1.1 point from the three months ended March 31, while 74.9 percent feel it is normal, up 4 points, according to the survey. Some 20.5 percent perceive the economy to be cool, a drop of 6 points.

Of the bankers, 79.3 percent regard the macroeconomy as normal, a gain of 7.8 points, and 14.5 percent think it is cool, a decline of 7.4 points.

There was less demand for loans. The bankers’ loan demand index fell 6.9 points from the previous quarter to 70.5 percent.

The bankers’ monetary policy perception index rose 1.9 point to 52.9 percent yet this is expected to dip 1.4 point in the next quarter to 51.5 percent, the report said. Some 11.6 percent of bankers polled think monetary policy is loose, a fall of 2.5 points, while 82.6 percent perceive it to be moderate, an increase of 8.8 points.

The entrepreneurs surveyed were optimistic about export and domestic demand in the second quarter. The export order index jumped 8.8 points to 50.6 percent while the domestic order index surged 10.2 points to 56 percent.

Urban savers, also part of the survey, mostly felt their income had stayed ‘basically unchanged.’ The urban savers’ income perception index dipped 0.5 point to 51.2 percent while the income confidence index stayed at 51 percent. Some 14.9 percent of those polled felt their earnings had increased, a drop of 1.5 point. Another 72.5 percent believed their income to be basically the same, a gain of 2.1 points, while 12.5 percent thought their income had fallen, down 0.5 point. The urban savers’ employment perception index rose 0.2 point to 44 percent.

Editor: Kim Taylor