South Korea's business sentiment dipped for the third consecutive month in August amid dim prospects for the US economy and other major economies, a central bank poll showed Friday.

Local companies' business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 91.2 this month, down from 95.1 the previous month following the 92.5 in July, according to the survey by the Bank of Korea.

The index measures corporate prospects for business conditions. A reading below 100 means pessimists outnumber optimists.

The central bank said business sentiment declined amid woes over a slump in the US economy and other major economies.

The BSI for manufacturers came to 90.9 this month, down from 92.8 the previous month. The index for nonmanufacturing firms came in at 91.4, down from 92.2 over the cited period, the data showed. (Yonhap)