“Koizumi indicated clearly that he intends to step down next year. I have no reason to doubt his word. For better or worse, he tends to do what he says he is going to do.”
“Things are looking better on the industrial side. The third quarter looks quite strong overall and the second half of the year is likely to be better than the first.”
“Concerns over (higher energy prices) feeding into higher wages have so far not materialized, which has dampened the risk of a rise in inflation expectations.”
“Retail sales have shown tentative signs of a modest recovery from weak levels, but in our view a continuing threat remains the weakness of the labor market ... which may slow the pace of consumer spending.”
“What we've seen over the past few months is a very gradual recovery in retail sales. We're likely to see a continued recovery in coming months, but nothing dramatic.”
