Japan's coincident index rises in March

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's coincident indicator index rose in March, the government said on Wednesday, supported by strong retail sales and exports, even as the coronavirus crisis remained a threat to the country's economic recovery.

The index of coincident economic indicators, which consists of a range of data including factory output, employment and retail sales, gained a preliminary 3.2 points from the previous month to 93.1 in March, the Cabinet Office said.

The index of leading economic indicators, which is a gauge of the economy a few months ahead and is compiled using data such as job offers and consumer sentiment, grew 4.3 points to 103.2.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Writing by Daniel Leussink)