Confidence boost Business morale on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius is at an all-time high. As reported by Reuters and Trading Economics, the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry quarterly confidence index rose 8.5% to 123 points in Q4 2017 – the highest level since the series began in 2010. Last year, the index increased 26.2%. ‘These successive increases [in the index] indicate a positive optimism of entrepreneurs, who consider that globally the economic situation [has been] improving since the last quarter of 2016,’ the Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced in a statement. Mauritius’ US$14 billion-per-annum economy grew by an estimated 3.9% in 2017, up slightly from 3.8% in 2016. While the nation relies mainly on tourism and financial services, growth in its construction sector has resulted in a forecast of 4% expansion for 2018. 30 January 2018 Image: Gallo/Getty Images