Econintersect: Apparently responding to the eeforts of new prime minister Shinzo Abe to provide stimulus for the Japanese economy, business sentiment has improved, though the readings are still negative. The improvement shows readings are now less negative than they were three months ago. The Bank of Japan, the country’s central bank, reports the results of its survey of business leaders once a quarter. The survey was conducted for 30 days, ending 29 March.
The improved sentiment comes in spite of deteriorating economic data for Japan in March. See GEI News for articles on this.
The Nikkei 225 was trading down 1.3% in Tokyo in the early afternoon as this was written. The latest data from Investing.com showed the yen stronger by 0.4% to 0.6% against the U.S., Canadian and Aussie dollars as well as the British pound and the euro.
Sources:
- Japanese business sentiment ticks up (Ben McLannahan, Financial Times)
- Asia/Pacific Indices (Yahoo Finance) Click for latest readings.
- Forex Rates (Investing.com) Click for latest readings.
