After raising the business expectations index (BEI) for the next 12 months in the third quarter of 2024 to 100.6% from 99.5% in the second, business increased it in the fourth quarter to 101.8%, which is close to the figure for the same period in 2023, some 101.6%, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said on Thursday based on the results of a business survey. "The survey participants maintained positive assessments regarding the overall volume of sales, increased their assessments concerning investment expenditures on machinery, equipment and inventory," the regulator said in the press release.