SEOUL, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Sentiment among South Korean businesses over economic conditions improved in four months on strong sales of new smartphone and automobiles, central bank data showed Thursday.

The business sentiment index (BSI) stood at 73 in March, up 4 points from a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It was the first rebound since November last year. The reading below 100 means pessimists outnumbering optimists.

The BSI among manufacturers gained 4 points over the month to 73 in March on solid demand for newly launched Galaxy S10 smartphone by Samsung Electronics as well as Sonata and Palisade by Hyundai Motor.

The figure for non-manufacturers added 3 points to 73 in the cited period, marking the first rebound in six months amid the rising number of Chinese tourists visiting the country.

Meanwhile, the prospective BSI for April was unchanged at 76 compared with the previous month.