Japan: economic activity remains stagnant

The conditions of the Japanese economy even worse, as indicated by leading indicators, summary indicator of the state of the Japanese economy.

According to the preliminary estimate by the Cabinet Office, the figure for March is expected to be 98.4 points down 0.5% compared to 98.9 points in February. The figure, revised up from the previous estimate of 96.8, was higher than market expectations were for 96.4.

In the same period, the coincident index is estimated to rise to 111.2 points from 110.7, confirming an improvement of the current conditions, while the deferred index (lagging index) is expected to fall to 112 from 113.8 and indicates a deterioration in the outlook for the next 12 months.