Business confidence of workers with jobs sensitive to economic trends worsened in October for the third straight month as typhoons pushed up retail prices, which in turn dampened consumer sentiment, the government said Tuesday.
The diffusion index of confidence among so-called economy watchers fell 0.9 point from September to 46.4, moving below the boom-or-bust line of 50 for the second consecutive month, the Cabinet Office said in a monthly survey.
The index is based on whether respondents see economic conditions as improving or worsening in comparison with three months before.