Japan's Stock Market Signals Better Times
Corporate earnings will rise 69 percent this year, analysts say
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After plunging in the aftermath of last year’s earthquake and nuclear disaster, Japanese stocks may be poised for a comeback. Profits for the large-cap companies in the Nikkei 225 Stock Average will rise 69 percent this year after plunging 31 percent in 2011, according to more than 2,600 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. “The worst is over for Japan in terms of earnings,” says Masafumi Oshiden, an investment manager at ING Mutual Funds Management (Japan). “Consumer spending is improving and corporate earnings are rebounding. The cautious mood following the quake is gone.”