101.   Slow economic growth and a low inflation rate suggest the Fed can lower its sights, and the fed funds rate, investors say.

102.   Signs that consumers are digging in their heels may be enough to prompt Federal Reserve policymakers to reduce next week the federal funds target rate for overnight bank loans.

103.   Similarly, a reduction in the U.S. Federal funds rate would likely have weakened the U.S. currency.

104.   Some analysts are predicting the Fed will reduce the federal funds rate on overnight bank loans by a quarter or a half of a percentage point.

105.   Since last July, the Fed cut the target federal funds rate on loans between banks three times to spur growth.

106.   Still, the quarter-point cut in the federal funds rate was enough to incite investors to bid up Singapore stocks, analysts said.

107.   Still, rising labor costs could prompt the Fed to raise its target for the federal funds rate a quarter point later this year, some analysts says.

108.   Still, the bank has been handcuffed in recent months by speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve will lift its federal funds rate soon to curb inflation, analysts said.

109.   That followed earlier quarter-point reductions in the federal funds rate in July and December.

110.   That has been because the Fed funds rate moved higher than longer-term rates as the Fed raised its target to slow economic growth.