A key index reflecting the current state of the economy logged its largest drop ever in April after a nationwide state of emergency was declared to fight the novel coronavirus, government data showed Friday.
The Cabinet Office's coincident index of business conditions for the reporting month fell 7.3 points from March to 81.5 against the 2015 base of 100, the sharpest decline since the government began releasing comparable figures in January 1985.
The headline figure sank for the third consecutive month, following a 4.9-point drop in March. The office maintained its assessment that the economy is "worsening," using the most pessimistic expression for the ninth consecutive month.