	sony foresees continued slump in ings sony corp sne t group net income is expected to be down pct for the five months ending march from the same period a year ago at around billion yen if the yen dollar rate remains at the present level managing director tsunao hashimoto told a press conference sony will have an irregular five month business term ending march as its financial year will be changed to run from april to march from the current october year end group sales in the same period are estimated at about billion yen down five pct from a year earlier he said the company earlier reported net income of billion yen in the three month period ended january down pct from a year earlier on sales of billion down pct the gloomy profits and sales resulted from the yen s recent appreciation against the dollar and a sharp drop in market prices due to severe sales competition at home and abroad the yen rose pct to an average of yen to the dollar reducing the company s total sales in the three month period by billion yen hashimoto said sales of mm video camera recorders totalled units in the three months unchanged from a year earlier while beta format video tape recorders vtrs sales fell to from sales of compact disc players rose to from and those of the walkman rose to mln from mln but colour television sales fell to from one mln due to lower exports to china sales of mm vtrs had already exceeded beta format vtrs sales since the beginning of fiscal hashimoto said overseas sales accounted for pct of the total in the three months compared with pct a year earlier overseas production will account for pct of its total production in from the present pct hashimoto also said parent current profit in the five month period is estimated at around billion yen down pct from a year earlier on sales of billion down pct sony is hoping to retain at least levels of group net profits and sales in the new financial year starting april he added the company made billion yen group net profit in the year ended november down pct from a year earlier on sales of billion down pct reuter 
