As a result, current profits at Japanese firms of all industries and sizes increased for fiscal 2004, with profits and the ratio of current profits to sales exceeding those recorded at the height of the bubble era. Corporate profits are likely to continue to increase for the fourth straight year in fiscal 2005, while absorbing the cost resulting from high crude oil prices.
A European Commission draft document denounces “the strong demand for € notes from organised crime”. The head of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recently called for the € note to be removed from circulation for the same reasons. What is the ECB’s position on this? Historically, these notes have enabled private individuals to make large payments in a convenient way.