41. That view was confirmed by the Economic Planning Agency, which released its diffusion index earlier in the day. 42. The diffusion index is the ratio of the number of expansive components to the total number of components. 43. The diffusion index of major manufacturers, the key number in the survey, improved to minus 12 from 14. 44. The diffusion index of major manufacturers, the key number in tankan, improved to minus 12 from minus 14. 45. The diffusion index is the ratio of the total number of expansive components to the total number of components. 46. The leading diffusion index of indicators for May was 33 . 3, up from 5 . 6 in April. 47. At 2 p . m . Tokyo time, the Economic Planning Agency will release its diffusion index for August. 48. The diffusion index in the upcoming tankan will likely be minus 5, according to a forecast by SBC Warburg. 49. A minus figure in the diffusion index indicates that more managers are pessimistic about the economic outlook than optimistic. 50. The Economic Planning Agency will release its diffusion index for June at 2 p . m . Tokyo time.
