TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s coincident indicator index fell in April and the government maintained its view on the index, suggesting the economy is worsening after slipping into a coronavirus-hit recession in the first quarter.
The index of coincident economic indicators, which consists of a range of data including factory output, employment and retail sales data, declined a preliminary 7.3 points from the previous month to 81.5 in April, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.
The index for leading economic indicators, which is a gauge of the economy a few months ahead and is compiled using data such as job offers and consumer sentiment, dropped 8.9 points to 76.2 from March.
(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
