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Japanese business outlook positive for 3rd successive quarter

Large Japanese companies presented a positive outlook of their operations in the first quarter for the third consecutive quarter, according to a joint survey by the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet Office.

The business sentiment index for companies with a capitalization of ¥1 billion or more was at 3.3 for the January-March period, down from 6.2 in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 5.1 in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the index is likely to stand at 0.3 for the second quarter of 2018 and 5.8 for the following three-month period.

Business optimism for major manufacturers dimmed in the first quarter to 2.9 from 9.7 in the previous quarter. The indicator for major non-manufacturers declined to 3.4 from 4.5 in the fourth quarter.

Manufacturing activity grew at a slightly slower pace in February, according to the IHS Markit/Nikkei Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index.