The Guardian

London, April 11:

The outlook for the global economy is improving, although concerns are emerging about prospects for the United States and the eurozone, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) also delivered an upbeat economic assessment yesterday, saying Japan is showing signs of shrugging off its long-running recession. The OECD said its ‘early warning’ indicator, which looks at the world’s top 30 economies, was moving forward and that ‘continued expansion lies ahead in the OECD area’. The Paris-based thinktank warned, however, that ‘February data signal slightly weakening performance in the United States and the euro area, particularly in Germany’. The OECD’s concerns about Germany were published as the Berlin government denied a report that the chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, is planning to sack finance minister Hans Eichel within the next few months.

Der Spiegel newspaper reported that Eichel would be replaced by a bank executive, Ingrid Mathaeus-Maier. “We deny this,” said a spokesman for the government. In Tokyo, the Bank of Japan said the economic recovery was now being helped by a pick-up in domestic demand, which had been depressed -- in part because price deflation had caused consumers to delay making purchases until goods became cheaper.

The economy’s recovery was seen as dependent on the performance of Japan’s car, electronics and machinery exporters. The Bank of Japan has spent massive amounts on the foreign exchanges in recent months in order to prevent an appreciation of its currency against the dollar harming the export trade. The BoJ suggested, however, that a move was beginning towards a broader-based recovery. “Japan’s economy continues to recover gradually, and domestic demand is becoming firmer,” it said. The country has not yet shaken off deflation, with the central bank forecasting that consumer prices will continue to fall slightly on a year-on-year basis. Business sentiment continued to improve, the Bank of Japan said, with confidence beginning to spread beyond the export sector. “Although firms are continuing to restrain labour costs, increases in production and corporate profits are expected to have positive effects on employment and income conditions.” Unemployment is around the five per centlevel - high, measured against historical Japanese standards. Despite the improving outlook for the economy, the Japanese stock market — which had been at its highest for almost three years earlier in the week — fell by 1.57 per cent.