Japan’s Aug corporate service prices rise 2.7% yr/yr

TOKYO (Reuters) – The prices Japanese companies charge each other for services rose 2.7% in August from a year earlier, steady from the previous month, central bank data showed on Wednesday.

Service-sector inflation is closely watched by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) for clues on whether prospects of rising wages are prodding firms to hike prices and leading to broader-based inflation, a prerequisite for raising interest rates.