Japan Business Confidence Falls In Q1

(RTTNews) - Confidence among Japanese large companies declined in the first quarter, survey results from the Ministry of Finance showed on Wednesday.

The business survey index for all industries fell to 2.0 in the first quarter from 5.7 in the preceding period.

Sentiment among manufacturers declined more sharply with the index falling to -2.4 from 6.3 in the fourth quarter. At the same time, the index for non-manufacturing dropped to 4.1 from 5.4 in the prior quarter.

Capital investment in software and investment in plant and machinery is forecast to grow 5.9 percent in the fiscal year 2025. Investment in manufacturing is expected to climb 10.0 percent.