Japan households gloomiest on outlook since 2008 – BOJ survey

(C) Reuters. FILE PHOTO :A security guard walks past in front of the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese households were the gloomiest on the economic outlook since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, a quarterly central bank survey for March showed on Tuesday, adding to woes for an economy feeling the strain from the coronavirus pandemic.

An index gauging households’ sentiment on the economy a year from now stood at -42.2, down from -32.6 in December to hit the lowest level since December 2008, according to the survey conducted between Feb. 6 and March 3.

Of those surveyed, 68.4% expect prices to rise from a year ago, down from 73.3% to hit the lowest level since March 2017, the survey showed.