Japan: Consumer sentiment improves in July
Consumer confidence came in at 37.1 in July, up from June’s 36.2. July’s result marked the strongest sentiment since December 2021. Despite the uptick, the index remained entrenched below the 50-threshold, pointing to improving—albeit still negative—sentiment among consumers.
Consumers became less pessimistic about the next year regarding their overall livelihood, income, employment, and willingness to buy durable goods, driving the slight improvement in the index. The improvement bodes well for private spending in Q2, with our panelists expecting a rebound in sequential terms in the quarter.