Japan: Consumer confidence slips in February
The consumer confidence index fell to 38.4 in February from 39.1 in January. The index measures consumer expectations about the economy for the next six months—a reading above the 50.0-threshold suggests consumers are optimistic, whereas a reading below the threshold points to pessimism.
Consumers were notably less confident about future employment opportunities in February. In addition, consumer sentiment regarding income growth, purchasing durable goods and overall livelihoods all dropped in February.
Separately, the percentage of consumers in February who expected prices to increase one year in the future dropped to 76.5% from 78.2% in January.