Businesses’ Inflation Expectations Rise

• The September 2020 inflation survey indicated expected inflation of 6.7% for the calendar year  2020, which is marginally higher than the July 2020 survey outturn of 6.2%. The expected inflation 12 months ahead also increased marginally to 7.0% relative to the previous survey outturn of 6.5%.
• The perception of inflation control declined slightly in the September 2020 survey relative to the July 2020 survey.
• Respondents anticipate that the currency will depreciate over the 3-month, 6-month, and 12- month time horizons at a faster pace relative to the previous survey. The majority of respondents continued to believe that the Bank’s policy rate will remain the same over the next three months.
• The Present Business Conditions Index reflected a slightly higher level of optimism while the Future Business Conditions Index illustrated a sharp decline in optimism compared to the previous survey.

(Source: BOJ)