FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Japan's Reuters Tankan Business Sentiment Rises in August

By

Sentiment among major Japanese companies improved in August, with both the Reuters Tankan manufacturing and non-manufacturing indices registering gains, according to survey data published Wednesday.

The Reuters Tankan manufacturing index rose to +18 points from +13 points in July, owing to strong semiconductor demand.

The reading topped the Trading Economics forecast of a slight change to +14 points, and marked the 17th consecutive month that sentiment was positive among manufacturers in Japan.

Meanwhile, the non-manufacturers' sentiment index likewise climbed to +28 from +25 the previous month following improvements in wholesale trade, information services and other services.

The poll, carried out from July 29 to Aug. 6, obtained responses from 219 out of the 510 companies surveyed, Reuters said.

Related Articles

International

BRC: UK Retail Sales Gain 1% in July

Retail sales in the UK rose 1% year over year on a like-for-like basis in July, following a 1.7% increase in June, according to data from the British Retail Consortium published Tuesday.The reading, which missed the expected 1.6% gain for the month, corresponds to the slowest retail sales growth since February.BRC said consumers spent on summer clothes, home entertainment, and garden-related items during the warm weather, while keeping budgeting in mind. The FIFA World Cup also drove sales during the month.

FTSE 100
International

Singapore Raises 2026 GDP Growth Forecast to 4.5%-5.5%

Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) upgraded the region's full-year 2026 GDP growth forecast to a range of 4.5% to 5.5%, significantly higher than the previous projection of 2% to 4%.The higher forecast reflects expectations that strong global AI-related demand will help cushion the economic impact of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, the MTI said Tuesday.Singapore's economy grew 5.9% year over year in the second quarter, slowing from the 6.3% growth in the first quarter. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-over-quarter basis, the economy expanded 1.4% in Q2, accelerating from the 1.2% growth in Q1, according to preliminary data.The second-quarter expansion was driven by strong performances in the manufacturing, wholesale trade, and finance and insurance sectors.For the first half of the year, Singapore's GDP grew 6.1% from a year earlier.

^STI
International

Australian Consumer Confidence Rises, Reaches 'Relatively Steady' State, ANZ Says

Australian consumer confidence rose 0.3 points in the week of Aug. 3 to 9 to 75 points, reaching a relatively steady state, according to a Tuesday note from ANZ.The four-week moving average eased 0.1 points to 74.1 points.Weekly inflation expectations fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.7%, while the four-week moving average was unchanged at 5.7%.Current financial conditions over the last year increased 0.2 points to 65.4, while financial conditions over the next 12 months declined 1.5 points to 82.4.The decline in households' confidence in the 12-month outlook for their finances and the rise in inflation expectations may have been due to a pick-up in petrol prices, ANZ economist Madeline Dunk said.Short-term economic confidence over the next 12 months was up 2.7 points to 69.5, while medium-term economic confidence over the next five years rose 2.1 points to 82.3.The "time to buy a major household item" sub-index fell 1.9 points to 75.7, per the report.

ASX 200