The rise, higher than Tokyo-based economists had forecast, marked the 14th consecutive monthly increase in the surplus.
Wednesday's cut to the sales forecast marked the first time Apple has revised its guidance to investors in more than 15 years.
The new forecast marks the third time this year that WellPoint has raised its outlook.
"Despite considerable differences in country-specific outlooks, the new forecasts mark down expected near-term growth rates marginally, but nearly across the board.
As a result, for the fiscal fourth-quarter, profits topped forecasts, marking the fifth consecutive quarter the company reported better-than-expected results.
The growth flew past analysts' forecasts and marked the fifth straight month of payroll gains in excess of 200,000 — a hiring spree not seen since the 1990s tech boom.
As for the weather, the editors will let the criticism roll off if their forecast misses the mark.
The new forecast would also mark a drop of more than three-quarters from the industry's estimated 2010 profit, which was raised to $18 billion from $16 billion.
The quarterly tankan survey showed the sentiment index for large manufacturers at 19, down from 23 in the previous survey in September, and below the 21 mark forecast by economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires.
Last year, the final pre-season forecasts missed the mark by a pretty wide margin.
In fact, the LSE's survey of population growth in the developing world forecasts the 8bn mark will be hit around 2040.
