Equities Update : JAPAN

Nikkei 225 is expected to start up in positive territory on speculation the US slowdown is not as severe as originally thought after the housing sales fell less than expected.
There is a lot of fear about a housing bubble, but those may have been exaggerated a bit.
Nikkei futures December last traded at 15,685 up from the close of 15,580 in Osaka and 15,585 in Singapore./