The U.S. economic recovery lost steam in the first half of 2012. Whereas positive signals have been coming from the real estate sector in recent months, the uptrend in the labor market has not gained a stable foothold yet. Up to now, domestic demand has been the main engine of economic growth....

While Japan’s economy is showing the first signs of a hesitant recovery, the upturn already gained a foothold in the U.S. economy in the second half of 2011 on the back of robust domestic demand. Conditions in the labor market relaxed perceptibly, while the real estate market is still...