21.   Slattery said it could be the last big acquisition because Sodexho and ARA are restrained by regional competition conflicts from countering with another large purchase.

22.   Soon after his large stock purchase, he met with Smith, the chairman, and John L. Cutter, the president and chief executive.

23.   Soybean futures were boosted in part by news that China made large purchases of soybean oil around the world this week.

24.   Starts of single-family homes were unchanged even though mortgage rates declined during the month, suggesting consumers remained wary of making large purchases.

25.   Still, he said, he plans to sell timber to help make ends meet, and will cut back on large purchases while the price remains down.

26.   State policymakers were upset this week by reports of large fleet purchases, some of which they feared were for speculative purposes.

27.   That can happen because stock prices sometimes reflect small and large orders equally, and therefore large purchases are masked behind a lagging stock price.

28.   The agreement with CBSI represents the first large purchase by AverStar since the merger.

29.   The buyer may be trying to stay under the radar of credit card companies, who pay extra attention to large purchases.

30.   The manufacturing sector has been hit hardest, as consumers have grown far more reticent about making large purchases like appliances.