Analysts expect strong profit rises

During the third quarter of 2000, the FTSE Japan Index fell 7.3%. The decline was despite signs of improvement in the fundamentals. On the economy, consensus forecasts for GDP growth have moved up to +1.7% for 2000 and +2.0% for 2001. The Tankan survey of business confidence showed a further improvement in its index of large manufacturers' sentiment from +3 in June to +10 in September, its highest level in more than three years. It would appear Japan is making progress towards sustainable growth. Indeed, while the US and Europe are showing signs of a slowdown, Japan is the only G7 econo...