1.   A report in the Nihon Keizai newspaper on Saturday said the EPA is planning to upgrade its assessment of the economy.

2.   Osborne stopped himself to upgrade an assessment.

3.   The agency also upgraded its assessment of industrial production.

4.   But it upgraded its assessment of overseas economies, mainly the United States and those in East Asia.

5.   It upgraded its assessment of corporate capital outlays, however.

6.   Heizo Takenaka, state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, has hinted this week the government may upgrade its assessment in the report.

7.   Various international credit rating agencies have upgraded their assessment of the country.

8.   While the agency did not change its assessment of consumer spending, it upgraded its assessment of capital spending.

9.   Societe Generale Strauss Turnbull upgrading its assessment of the stock to a short-term buy recommendation from hold.

10.   The Bank of Japan upgraded its assessment of the economy Friday for the second straight month as trade began to improve and factory production stopped sliding.