WEAK OUTLOOK: Panasonic nearly doubled its projected net loss for the fiscal year to a record 780 billion yen ($10.2 billion).
THE REASONS: Weak TV and mobile phone sales and ongoing restructuring costs after acquiring smaller Sanyo Electronics Co.
BIGGER PICTURE: Japanese electronics makers Sony and Sharp have also predicted huge losses for their fiscal year. That reflects the battering these brand name companies have taken from the yen’s surge, a weak global economy, last year’s tsunami disaster as well as flooding in Thailand, which disrupted supply networks.