41.   Besides boosting the earnings of the local phone companies, it could be a precursor to opening up the telecommunications business even further.

42.   Better cost control and higher operating margins helped boost earnings, he said.

43.   Bollenbach today said the purchase would boost earnings a year after the purchase closed and that the transaction is designed to keep the investment-grade rating.

44.   Both have supported ethanol production to boost farm earnings.

45.   Bollenbach today said the purchase would boost earnings a year after the purchase closed and that the transaction is designed so Hilton would keep its investment-grade rating.

46.   A drop in interest rates can spur economic activity and boost company earnings along with the size of dividends paid shareholders.

47.   A cost-cutting plan enacted last year helped boost earnings this quarter, Alcoa spokeswoman Bonita Cersosimo said.

48.   A higher dollar boosts earnings at big Japanese exporters by increasing the yen value of dollar-denominated profits and easing pressure to raise prices abroad.

49.   A higher dollar boosts earnings at Japanese companies by increasing the value of profits made abroad and raising the cost of competing imported goods sold in Japan.

50.   A higher dollar boosts earnings from those activities when converted into francs.