• Manufacturers’ November sentiment index 13 vs 8 in October, but expect a drop back to 9 in February
  • Service-sector index 18 in November vs 20 in October (down for 2 months in a row) … and matching a low last seen in October 2013. It is forecast to improve to 22 in February.

More from Reuters:

  • Japanese manufacturers grew more confident for the first time in three months but expect conditions to worsen again
  • Underscoring a cautious economic outlook

The Reuters Tankan is a monthly survey

  • It closely tracks the Bank of Japan’s tankan quarterly poll
  • This survey questioned 486 big firms, of which 264 replied from October 27 to November 10 (so won’t fully reflect the extra BOJ easing on October 31)
  • The survey indices represent the difference between the percentage of firms saying conditions are improving and those who say they are worsening. A positive number means optimists outnumber pessimists.