Australia saw business activity improve at an increased rate in March, while activity in Japan showed signs of stabilising. The decline in COVID-19 disruptions played a key role in spurring the latest improvements. That said, price pressures intensified amid persistent pandemic-related supply chain constraints and the impact from the Russia-Ukraine war in March. Consequently, business confidence fell amongst private sector firms, with the outlook for future activity falling sharply according to the latest flash PMI data, hinting at a worsening output trend in coming months. Japan and Australia private sector output ... (full story)