Japan: Consumer confidence moderates in March
Consumer confidence fell to 32.8 in March from February’s 35.2. March’s result marked the worst reading since January 2021. Consequently, the index remained below the 50-threshold, indicating sustained pessimism among consumers.
The overall decline reflected a broad-based decrease in sentiment: Consumers grew more pessimistic regarding their overall livelihood, income growth and employment opportunities in the coming six months, while willingness to buy durable goods also reduced significantly in March compared with the prior month’s survey.