• Home
• About/Contact
• Economic Reports
• Research
• Advertising

• Business
• Economics
• Reports
• Finance
• Marketing
• Politics
• Real Estate
• Services
• Retail
• Tech

Subscribe

Japan consumer confidence rises for second straight month in February

According to data released yesterday by the Cabinet Office, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index rose by 0.8 points to 39.8 in February, showing an increase for the second consecutive month. The last time the Consumer Confidence Index showed an increase for two months in a row was in August 2009, when it hit 40.1 points. Read more

Consumer confidence index inches up in January

According to data released Friday by the Cabinet Office, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 39.0 in January, up from 37.6 in in December. January’s rise, however, did not make up for the drop seen in December, as the index remained below the 39.5 level seen in November 2009.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for January figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan Consumer Confidence up for eighth straight month in August

According to data released Friday by the Cabinet Office, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 40.1 in August, up from 39.4 in July. August was the eighth consecutive month in which the consumer confidence index has shown a rise.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. The overall score of 40.1 represents the first time since October 2007 that the index has come in above 40 points. Here’s a breakdown for August figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan’s consumer confidence rises for sixth straight month in June

After bottoming out at 26.2 in December, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index has slowly been creeping upward over the past six months. According to data released by the Cabinet Office today, the Consumer Confidence Index reached 37.6 points in June, up from 35.7 in May. This is the highest reading seen since December 2008, and the index has now risen for six straight months.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for June figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan’s consumer confidence up slightly in January, worries over job security worsen

After having set record lows for four consecutive months, Japan’s consumer confidence index rose by 0.2 points in January to hit 26.4, according to data released today by the Cabinet Office. Although the increase is welcome, it is hardly encouraging, and by no means leaves the impression that Japanese consumers are going to feel significantly better about the economy any time soon.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for January’s figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan consumer confidence index drops to fresh all-time low in December

Earlier today, the Cabinet Office released consumer confidence index figures for December, and the index dropped 2.2 points to 26.2, marking the third consecutive month that consumer confidence has hit an all-time low.

Japan’s consumer confidence index thus set record lows for six of the twelve months in 2008 – from June to August and from October to December.

The consumer confidence index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for December figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan consumer confidence hits another all-time low in November: Cabinet Office

In October, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index slipped below 30 for the first time in history, hitting 29.4 points. Today, the Cabinet Office announced November figures, and the data shows Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index falling to a fresh all-time low of 28.4.

The Consumer Confidence Index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for November figures, with the change from the previous month: Read more

Japan’s consumer confidence hits all-time low in October

In August, Japan’s consumer confidence index hit its all-time low for the third month in a row, at 30.1 points. That figure recovered slightly on the back of slightly lower oil prices in September, to 31.4 points. However, according to data released by the Cabinet Office today, the consumer confidence index slipped under the 30 point mark in October to 29.4, a fresh all-time low.

The Consumer Confidence Index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for October figures, with the change from last month: Read more

Japan’s Consumer Confidence shows first rise in six months in September

After declining for five straight months and hitting an all-time low for the third month in a row in August, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index finally showed a gain in September, moving up 1.3 points to 31.4. That score matched the figure seen in July.

The Consumer Confidence Index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for September figures, with the change from last month: Read more

Japan’s consumer confidence hits all-time low for third straight month in August

Last month we noted that it was in the government’s best interest to show the public that it was serious about putting together some form of economic stimulus package if it hoped to restore confidence in Japan’s consumers, whose spending makes up about 55% of GDP. Nothing of the sort happened.

Thus, it comes as no surprise that in August, Japan’s Consumer Confidence Index declined for the fifth month in a row and hit a new all-time low for the third consecutive month.

The Consumer Confidence Index itself contains five scores, each of which is considered positive when above 50, and pessimistic when below the 50 mark. Here’s a breakdown for August figures, with the change from last month:

• Consumer Confidence Index: 30.1 (-1.3)
• Overall Livelihood: 28.5 (-0.8)
• Income Growth: 35.0 (-1.3)
• Employment: 28.4 (-2.3)
• Willingness to buy durable goods: 28.3 (-0.9)

Once again, all five scores have fallen. The “Employment” category has been battered over the last three months, having fallen 6.5 points over that time. For the sake of comparison, let’s take a look at how each score has changed compared to where they were a year ago:

• Consumer Confidence Index: -13.9
• Overall Livelihood: -13.4
• Income Growth: -7.4
• Employment: -18.6
• Willingness to buy durable goods: -17.2

The drops in “Employment” and “Willingness to buy durable goods” are particularly worrisome. Once again, it cannot be said that the government is taking any concrete steps to reassure consumers, although its options are heavily limited. Last month we noted that the government would have put some believable proposal on the table in order to help restore public confidence.

In the interim, Prime Minister Fukuda announced his resignation and the ruling party has been focused almost entirely on itself as it goes through the process of finding a new leader. It seems clear now that Taro Aso will be the next prime minister, and his penchant for deficit spending (ie, public works, pork and favoritism) versus fiscal control is unlikely to win confidence points amongst the public at large. In October we will likely hear that the Consumer Confidence Index dipped below 30 points for the first time ever in September.

Next Page »

Copyright © 2006-2010 Japan Economy News

Privacy Policy | Disclaimer