Manufacturers’ mood up

TOKYO: Confidence among Japanese manufacturers remained steady in October from the previous month, a Reuters monthly poll showed on, a sign the feel good mood generated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s reflationary policies is persisting.

But the service sector’s mood fell for a second straight month in October, underlining the view that private spending, which has led a recovery in the world’s third-largest economy this year, is losing some momentum. The mood of both manufacturers and non-manufacturers is expected to improve over the next three months, with optimism far outweighing pessimism in both sectors, the poll showed. A total of 278 businesses responded to the poll of 400 big and mid-size firms taken Sept 30 to Oct 11. – Reuters