Household spending rose in August for the first time in three months and job availability improved to the best in more than two decades, signs that could temper concerns the economy has fallen into yet another recession.
The 2.9 percent year-on-year increase in household spending in August was more than the median estimate of 0.4 percent, and followed a 0.2 percent annual drop in July as consumers bought more cars.
A separate survey from the Bank of Japan showed corporate inflation expectations weakened slightly last quarter, which could bolster the argument that the central bank will ease monetary policy at the end of the month when it updates its long-term economic forecasts.