Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department released today (13th) the results of the Monthly Survey on Business Situation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) for April 2025.The current diffusion index (DI) on business receipts amongst SMEs decreased from 43.5 in March 2025 in the contractionary zone to 41.2 in April 2025, whereas the one-month's ahead (i.e. May 2025) outlook DI on business receipts was 43.6.Analyzed by sector, the current DIs on business receipts for majority of the surveyed sectors dropped in April 2025 as compared with previous month, particularly for the import and export trades (from 45.1 to 40.2) and business services (from 48.4 to 45.3).The current DI on new orders for the import and export trades decreased from 46.6 in March 2025 to 42.0 in April 2025, whereas the outlook DI on new orders in one month's time (i.e. May 2025) was 43.8.Business sentiment among SMEs and their outlook in one month's time both weakened in April, as the headwinds and uncertainties in the external environment increased sharply after the US announced significant increases in import tariffs last month, said a spokesperson for the Hong Kong government. Meanwhile, the overall employment situation also softened.