Business sentiment among people with jobs sensitive to economic trends rose by a record in June as expectations for recovery grew after the lifting of the state of emergency for the coronavirus the previous month, government data shows.
Among the "economy watchers," such as taxi drivers and restaurant staff, the diffusion index for confidence jumped to 38.8, up 23.3 points from May and the sharpest increase since comparable data became available in January 2002, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday.
The reading, up for the second consecutive month, rebounded close to the 41.9 figure logged in January, when the coronavirus outbreak had yet to be felt.