Over 94 Pct in Japan Feel Rising Prices: BOJ Survey

   Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)--The proportion of people in Japan who feel prices have risen over the past year came to 94.7 pct, a quarterly Bank of Japan opinion survey has shown.
   The figure inched down from 95.0 pct in the previous June survey, but the share of such people topped 90 pct for the ninth consecutive time.
   Respondents estimated that prices rose by an average of 14.5 pct from a year ago, down from 15.7 pct. On prices in a year's time, 85.6 pct predicted they will rise, down from 87.5 pct. The rapid depreciation of the yen has paused, and expectations for future price hikes have eased somewhat.
   The diffusion index for sentiment on household economic circumstances, or the percentage of respondents who think the situation improved from a year before minus that of those feeling the opposite, came to minus 47.4, better than minus 52.1.
   The proportion of respondents who said their household incomes had increased from a year ago was 19.0 pct, up from 15.9 pct. The level was the highest since comparable data became available in September 2006, reflecting wage hikes.

(2024/10/11-16:20)

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