So far, there seems to be very little risk of a slowdown in the global economic expansion, but developments in crude oil prices, along with their effects on the world economy, will have to be monitored closely. Equally important are developments in demand for IT-related goods.
At present, the Japanese IT industry, which had witnessed an unintended buildup in levels of stocks, has been in the process since the summer of adjusting production and the level of stocks in response to the slowdown in international demand for IT-related goods.