Employment decreased due to temporary factors. Prices are stable overall. In Western Europe, the German economy is improving gradually while the French economy is expanding moderately and the British economy is also improving. Industrial production has turned higher in Germany, remains almost unchanged in France and is rising in Britain. 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 Britain.
Prices are stable.
Turning to East Asia, the pace of economic growth is slowing in China, and prices are declining. The South Korean economy is recovering rapidly. The unemployment rate, though still at a high level, is falling. As for movements in the international commodity market in September, the CRB commodity futures index maintained its upward trend early in the month, easing slightly in the middle of the month before rising 208 points toward the end of the month.