Japan manufacturers’ confidence rebounds from 3-year low, service sector sentiment suffers

Manufacturers’ confidence in Japan rebounded from a three-year low, while sentiment in the services sector suffered the worst since 2013, the year when the Bank of Japan began its rapid and bold monetary easing programme. The mixed data received from a Reuters poll underscored a fragile economic recovery in Japan.

The monthly Reuters Tankan, which tracks the BoJ’s quarterly tankan survey, also found that confidence at manufacturers and service-sector firms is expected to improve in December, easing pessimism about the economy's outlook.

The mixed results of the poll of 532 large and mid-sized firms carried out between Aug 30 and Sep 12, in which 269 responded, follows recent data showing weak exports and output and upbeat capital spending, as the BoJ prepares to hold a monetary policy meeting next week.

Further, the sentiment index for manufacturers rose to 5 from 1 in August, rising for the first time in three months, as confidence at exporters of cars and electronics rebounded from the prior month's lows. Compared with three months ago, the index was up two points, indicating a slight improvement in the headline big manufacturers' index in the BoJ tankan due on Oct 3.

In contrast, the service-sector index fell to 14 from 18 in August, as bad weather pushed retailers' sentiment to an 18-month low of minus 9 from 13 in August, a sign of fear in the consumption sector which constitutes about 60 percent of the economy, Reuters reported.

Most importantly, the tripping growth and rising deflationary pressures leave to watch out for the central bank’s monetary policy meeting decison scheduled to be held on Sep 20-21, when it shall freshly review the effects of the monetary stimulus rolled out in the last meeting.

Meanwhile, at the time of closing, the benchmark 10-year bond yield, which moves inversely to its price, fell nearly 2 basis points to -0.031 percent, the super-long 30-year note yield dipped nearly 3 basis points to 0.561 percent and the short-term 2-year JGB yield slid 1/2 basis point to -0.272 percent, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 closed down 1.26 percent at 16,405.01 and the broader Topix index also closed 1.04 percent lower to 1,301.11 points.