Latest S&P Global Flash PMI® data signalled softer expansions in both manufacturing and service sector activity in Japan in March, leading to the slowest rise in overall private sector output for three months. At the same time, Japanese firms recorded weaker increases in new orders and employment, while confidence around the year-ahead slipped to the lowest for nearly a year amid concerns around the war in the Middle East. The latter was reportedly a key driver of inflation, with input costs rising to the greatest extent for 11 months in March. At 52.5 at the end of the first quarter, the headline seasonally ... (full story)