After listening to many dinner speakers through the years, I am well aware that after the entrees are served, no one wants to hear someone blabber for 45 minutes. So, I will try to keep this short to leave enough time for a robust discussion afterward, which I hope my remarks will generate.
Consequently, corporate and household sentiment remains cautious, and a recovery has not yet been observed in private demand. As for the future developments, the increase in public investment is likely to underpin the economy toward the first half of fiscal 1999 with the implementation of the government’s economic measures.