Anybody's guess
Article Abstract:
Japan's economy is increasingly unpredictable as fluctuations of the yen against the dollar make import volume and growth rates as much a matter of judgment as of calculation. A reduction in GDP in the fourth quarter of 1994 of 3.4% annualized leads economists to issue conservative growth figures of about 1.7% for 1995. However, strong increases in manufacturing and factory overtime, and no signs of the expected reduction in consumer spending following the Kobe earthquake, mean growth could be fairly strong and with minimal inflation.
Publication Name: Far Eastern Economic Review
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0014-7591
Year: 1995
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Too big to flail: Japan's bank failures raise pressure for reform
Article Abstract:
Worry is quietly spreading through Japan's financial system, where insiders say the enormous problems have frightened people into silence. The government's top banking regulators claim everything is under control, but the closure of several small institutions only seems to herald bigger things to come, and some bankers say the Finance Ministry cannot keep all 19 of the country's biggest banks afloat. Perhaps the top problem is the $60 billion-plus in bad loans held by housing-loan companies, several of which face restructuring.
Publication Name: Far Eastern Economic Review
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0014-7591
Year: 1995
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The big chill: will Japan's frozen real-estate market ever thaw?
Article Abstract:
Japan's property market remains in stasis because no one is willing to sell at the prices buyers are willing to pay, and letting the prices fall further could bankrupt many banks. However, US companies and funds are apparently considering entering the market thanks to low interest rates and the chance to borrow up to 80% of the buying price. The Finance Ministry's banking bureau is also pushing to ease up property taxes introduced five years ago to slow the spiralling cost of property and discourage sales.
Publication Name: Far Eastern Economic Review
Subject: Business, international
ISSN: 0014-7591
Year: 1995
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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