Japan: Consumer confidence improves only marginally and remains pessimistic in February
Consumer confidence rose to 31.1 in February from January’s 31.0. Despite the uptick, the index remained below the 50-threshold, indicating pessimism among consumers.
Two subcomponents of the consumer confidence index rose, and two subcomponents fell. Consumers became less pessimistic about the next 12 months concerning their income growth and employment. However, they became more pessimistic about their overall livelihoods and willingness to buy durable goods.