Business fixed investment has continued on an increasing trend, with corporate profits staying at high levels on the whole. According to the Financial Statements Statistics of Corporations by Industry, Quarterly (FSSC), the ratio of current profits to sales for all industries and enterprises has remained at a historically high level.
In this situation, business fixed investment on a GDP basis has maintained its uptrend, being positive for the April-June quarter on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Turning to the household sector, private consumption has increased moderately, albeit with fluctuations. This is mainly attributable to the continued improvement in the employment and income situation (Chart 4).