Japan firms see trade war, sales tax pressuring economy in 2019 – Reuters

Most Japanese firms expect the US-China trade war to hurt Japan’s export-driven economy and the planned sales tax hike to put a damper on private consumption, a Reuters poll found. 

Key points (Source: Reuters)

• 55 percent of companies predicted that Japan’s economic growth would remain about the same as this year’s 1 percent projection, while 31 percent see it slowing. Only 14 percent believe it will accelerate.
• 51 percent of companies expect next year’s global growth to undershoot this year’s 3.7 percent forecast by the International Monetary Fund, the Nov. 20-Dec. 3 survey showed.