Employment is rising. Prices are generally stable. In Western Europe, the German economy is improving gradually while the French economy is expanding moderately and the economy of the United Kingdom is also improving. Industrial production is moving sideways in Germany but rising in France and the United Kingdom. The unemployment rate remains almost unchanged in Germany, is declining slightly in France, although still at a high level, and remains at a low level in the United Kingdom.
Prices are stable.
Turning to East Asia, the pace of economic growth is slowing in China, and prices are declining. At the same time, exports have increased significantly. The South Korean economy is recovering rapidly and its unemployment rate is falling. As for movements in the international commodity market in October, the CRB commodity futures index fell early in the month, rising sharply in the middle of the month before turning to a downward trend again later.