Australian business conditions eased in April, while confidence stayed negative despite an improvement, according to a survey by the National Australia Bank (NAB) published Tuesday.

The NAB business confidence index ticked up 1 point to negative one index point. The manufacturing sector showed a significant improvement in confidence levels, while wholesale, construction, finance, and property and business services showed small increases.

The NAB business conditions index eased 2 points to 2 index points on weaker profitability. The mining and transport and utilities sectors saw significant declines in business conditions, reversing their improvement in March, per the report.