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Japan Business Sentiment Rises Across the Board Ahead of BOJ
Confidence among a wide range of Japanese companies picked up in the fourth quarter, sending a positive signal to the Bank of Japan ahead of next week’s policy decision. An index of sentiment among the country’s biggest manufacturers rose to 12 in December from 9 three months earlier, the third straight gain, according to the BOJ’s quarterly Tankan report Wednesday. The reading beat economists’ forecast of 10. The business mood among the largest non-manufacturers also improved to 30 from 27, exceeding economists’ expectations and setting a fresh 32-year high. A positive figure means optimists outnumber ... (full story)