MNI DATA IMPACT: Corp Loan, Household Demand Down: BOJ Survey

     TOKYO (MNI) - Financing demand by Japanese corporates through bank loans

fell in January from the previous three months, according to the Bank of Japan's

latest quarterly survey of senior loan officers at 50 banks released on

Thursday.

     The index for corporate fund demand -- calculated by subtracting the number

of banks reporting a decline in lending from the number of those reporting an

increase -- stood at +2 in January, down from +3 in October, as demand was hit

by the drop in sales and capital investment.

     The latest survey period was from December 10 to January 14.

     Other key points from the survey:

     --The index for demand from large companies rose to +1 from -4 and the

index for small businesses fell to +1 from +4.

     --The index for fund demand expected for the next three months stood at -1,

unchanged from -1 in the previous survey.

     --The index showing household demand for funds stood at -11 in January,

down from +8, due to lower demand for housing investment and consumption.

     --The senior loan officer index for corporate fund demand hit a record high

of +43 in Q4 2008, up from -5 in the previous three months. The global financial

crisis hurt companies' ability to borrow directly from financial markets. The

BOJ began the survey in April 2000.

--MNI Tokyo Bureau; tel: +81 90-2175-0040; email: hiroshi.inoue@marketnews.com

--MNI Sydney Bureau; +61 405322399; email: lachlan.colquhoun.ext@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: MAJDS$,M$A$$$,M$J$$$]