Large manufacturer sentiment improves as Japan economy emerges from COVID

Business confidence among major Japanese manufacturers improved in September for a fifth straight quarter as the economy emerges from the COVID-19 downturn but component shortages weighed, the Bank of Japan said Friday.The key index measuring confidence among companies such as automobile and electronics makers rose to 18 in September from 14 three months earlier, the highest level since December 2018, and higher than the average market forecast of 13 in a recent Kyodo News survey.The index for large nonmanufacturers, including the coronavirus pandemic-battered service sector, slightly incre…READ FULL ARTICLE