21.   A rate rise typically undermines stocks by increasing corporate borrowing costs and stunting consumer spending, meaning lower profits for companies.

22.   A number of companies have reported lower profits this year.

23.   A retailer is almost always willing to accept a lower profit, but seldom at the expense of his pride.

24.   A weaker dollar means lower profits for exporters, particularly electronics makers, when they convert their dollar-denominated sales back into yen.

25.   A stronger dollar would mean higher-priced exports, pushing down demand, and lower profits abroad when sales are translated back into dollars.

26.   A weaker dollar means lower profits for exporters, particularly electronics makers, when they convert their dollar-denominated sales into yen.

27.   A weaker dollar means lower profits for electronics makers and other exporters when they convert dollar-denominated sales into yen.

28.   AK Steel Holding Corp. and Inland Steel Industries Inc. reported lower profits last week.

29.   Aggressive jawboning by corporations about lower profit forecasts has seen to it that investors get mostly positive surprises when the quarterly figures finally come out.

30.   But apart from warning about lower profits and higher prices, they have taken a different tack.