Business confidence among large companies dipped in the April-June period, sending the business survey index for big firms into negative territory for the first time since the government started the quarterly poll in April-June 2004, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.
The index of business conditions at companies capitalized at 1 billion yen or more came to minus 0.9 on an all-industry basis, down from 6.2 for January-March, according to the survey jointly conducted by the Cabinet Office and Finance Ministry.
It was the third straight quarter the index has fallen.