BOJ’s Consumption Activity Index books first rise in two quarters - MNI

Consumption Activity Index (CAI), the latest gauge published by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), fell a real 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis in March for the first drop in two months after a rise of 0.2% in February, MNI reports.

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But for the January-March quarter, the index rose 0.8%, the first rise in two quarters after being flat in October-December and rising 0.5% in July-September.

The BOJ's consumption indicator reflects a wide range of sales and supply-side statistics on goods and services and helps capture the short-term consumption trend, and it has a close correlation to final gross domestic product figures.