1. Deregulating distribution and retailing would increase efficiency and spur consumption. 2. Hot summer weather has spurred higher consumption of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, traders said. 3. Meantime, financial authorities have authorized several interest rate reductions to spur consumption by lowering the cost of borrowing. 4. Such cash withdrawals could help to explain why the wealth effect has spurred consumption more than would have been expected over the last couple of years. 5. The first fuel economy laws of a generation ago, however, spurred consumption despite being seen as a way to reduce gasoline demand. 6. With that in mind, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin publicly urged the Japanese government last week to spur domestic consumption. 7. Economists say Japan is trying to export its way out of an economic slump, despite calls from the United States to spur domestic consumption instead. 8. He said the government was targeting some of its stimulus money at spurring consumption by expanding consumer credit and boosting the income of poorer groups like farmers. 9. Longer term, lower rates could spur consumption and boost corporate profits and thus stock prices. 10. Stock investors look forward to lower interest rates because they make equities more attractive than bonds and can spur consumption. |
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