Business confidence among workers with jobs sensitive to economic trends improved in January for the first time in 10 months, as most thought overall economic conditions had remained unchanged, the government said Monday.
The diffusion index of confidence in current economic conditions among these so-called economy watchers rose 1.2 points from December to 17.1, as the positive effects from the government's economic package and falls in commodity prices stopped the economy from deteriorating further, the Cabinet Office said.
The watchers include shop clerks and taxi drivers. Despite the increase, the index stayed at its second-lowest level since the government began releasing comparable data in August 2001, following a record low of 15.9 marked in December.
A reading of 50 indicates that those polled generally see economic conditions as flat. The latest index remained below the boom-or-bust line for the 22nd month in a row.