Japan: Business confidence eases in Q1 amid tariff threat
Latest reading: According to the quarterly Tankan survey, business confidence among large manufacturers fell from Q4’s three-year high of 14.0 to 12.0 in Q1. Consequently, the index moved closer the 0-threshold, pointing to lesser but still-robust optimism among large manufacturers. Q1’s result may reflect the announcement of tariffs by the U.S., the main trading partner of Japan.
Economists often use the Tankan survey to chart economic trends, with the indicator considered less volatile than GDP statistics.