Japanese electronics maker¹ Sony has reported a record annual loss as natural disasters last year and a strong yen² hurt its earnings³.

受去年自然灾害和日元坚挺的影响，日本电子产品生产商索尼2011年严重亏损。

The firm reported a net loss of 456.7bn yen ($5.7bn; £3.5bn) for the year to the end of March, compared with a 259.6bn yen loss last year.

The company said falling demand from developed markets also affected⁴ its earnings.

However, it forecast a profit of 30bn yen for the current financial year.

But despite the company sounding upbeat（乐观的） , some analysts⁵ said the firm was likely to face tough times even in the year ahead.

"There is no respite⁶ in sight for them. Demand from Europe has been falling and the yen continues to remain strong," Nitin Soni of Fitch Ratings told the BBC.

"These factors are contributing to the fall in profitability."

Double whammy

Sony's production and sales were severely⁷ affected by the earthquake and tsunami⁸ in Japan in March last year.

The twin disasters resulted in supply chain disruptions and a shortage in power supply in Japan, forcing Sony to curtail⁹ production.

Its fortunes were hurt further by floods in Thailand later in the year, which saw its factories in the country being affected.

A strong Japanese currency, which gained as much as 10% against the US dollar between April 2011 and February 2012, further added to its woes¹⁰.

A strong yen hurts earnings of firms when they repatriate¹¹ their foreign earnings back home and also affects sales as it makes their goods more expensive to foreign buyers.