71.   Fuel economy has improved a bit, too.

72.   Fuel economy has not improved in several years, and people are driving more each year.

73.   Government spending could increase now, in anticipation that the extra tax money would pay down the debt when the economy improves.

74.   Further increases in unemployment and declines in corporate earnings are expected even if the economy slowly improves.

75.   Hashimoto said that the economy was slowly improving, a point that the coalition has emphasized in rejecting calls for new general elections.

76.   He noted that none of this would matter much if the Russian economy was improving.

77.   He remains popular among the poor, even though the economy has not improved much since he took office.

78.   He notes further that as the world economy improves, prices for items like semiconductors and computers could firm up a bit, which might depress spending.

79.   He stressed, however, that WorkSharing is not a hospice for terminally ill businesses but a respite for companies confident their fortunes will turn when the economy improves.

80.   He said the economy should improve after April when problems surrounding the Japanese financial system clear up enough to give business more confidence.