Japan: Consumer confidence inches up but remains in negative territory in November
Consumer confidence came in at 33.7 in November, marginally up from October’s 33.6. November’s result marked the strongest reading since February. Consequently, the index—which measures consumer expectations about the economy for the next six months—moved closer to the 50-threshold, but still indicated pessimism among consumers.
The overall improvement reflected less pessimistic consumers’ sentiment regarding overall livelihood and income growth employment opportunities in the coming six months. However, consumers’ willingness to buy durable goods remained unchanged while views on employment became more pessimistic in November compared with the prior month’s survey.