Bad Credit Mortgage Refinance ®
		Home Page Mortgage News You Can Use Iconocast SEM Japan's Indicators Index Tops Expectations in December Thursday February 5, 3:52 am ET TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Japan's index of leading economic indicators in December stood at 70.0, above the boom-or-bust threshold of 50.0, the government said Thursday, suggesting the economy will likely remain on track for steady growth in the near future. The outcome was above the average forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones of 60.0 The leading index stayed at or above the boom-or-bust threshold for the eighth straight month. A reading above 50 points to economic expansion over the short term while a level below 50 heralds contraction. The reading for November was revised up to 54.5. The December result underscores the view that Japan's economy may finally be starting to recover in a sustainable way without relying so much on exports, with increasing signs of brightness in domestic demand. Consumers may loosen their purse strings as Japan's jobless rate fell below 5% in December for the first time since June 2001. Housing starts in the month jumped 9.4%, the first rise in two months. The latest reading is in line with the government's upgraded view of the economy. In its monthly economic report for January, the government said the economy is "recovering steadily," with private consumption "showing signs of picking up." It was the first time since September 1999 that the government said consumption, which makes up around 55% of gross domestic product, was improving. December November October Leading 70.0 54.5 90.9 Coincident 66.7 80.0 100.0 Lagging 66.7 66.7 58.3 Briefing reporters after the release of the data, a Cabinet Office official said the economy "continues to recover," maintaining the government's upbeat assessment for the fourth straight month. "The coincident index is also highly likely to stand above 50% in January" on prospects of steady growth in production, the official said. The October leading index was revised up from the preliminary 90.0. The coincident index and the lagging index was unrevised for both November and October. The indicator indexes compare the current levels of various economic indicators with their levels three months earlier. The leading index compares the performances of data known as good indicators for gauging the future course of the economy. The coincident index measures the current state of the economy and the lagging index gauges the performance of the economy in the recent past. ß -By Leika Kihara, Dow Jones Newswires; 813- 5255-2929; leika.kihara@dowjones.com -Edited by John Gibson and Alastair Gale Back to Original Article: Mortgage News You Can Use   Continue with: Issues likely to come up at Florida G7 Bond Prices End Down Slightly Workers' Productivity Slows at End of'03 Wall Street Waffles on New Economic Data European Central Bank Keeps Rates Steady Thursday's World Gold Prices U.S. Productivity Grows at 2.7 Percent Annual Rate, Down From 9.5 Percent More borrowers tap into home equity U.S. productivity cools, jobless claims rise U.S. Treasuries, Thursday, Feb 5 House Backs Extended Jobless Benefits Mortgage Activity Drops US TREASURY OUTLOOK - Waiting for payrolls U.S. Treasury's Snow repeats deficits manageable Funds probe spreads to Alliance Capital 401k plans are getting even more scrutiny Fed's Bernanke sees low inflation, slow job growth
		Bad Credit Mortgage Refinance