TOKYO (MNI) – Outstanding bank loans in Japan rose 0.4% from a year
earlier to Y397.1 trillion in April, posting the seventh straight rise
on a gradual recovery in corporate funding demand, Bank of Japan data
released Thursday showed.
But the data also showed that the pace of growth in bank
lending decelerated from +0.9% in March and +0.8% in February.
In April, outstanding loans by city banks, the largest group of
lenders in Japan, slumped 1.3% from a year earlier, the 30th consecutive
month of y/y decline after -0.2% in March.
The decrease in lending by city banks was offset by a continued
rise in lending by regional banks, up 2.1% in April, after rising at the
same pace in March and marking the 23th consecutive y/y rise.
The balance of commercial paper issuance stood at Y9.55 trillion at
the end of April, up 2.4% y/y following a 7.0% fall in March.
tokyo@marketnews.com
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