41.   The weather could slightly delay crop planting, which supported the market, analysts said.

42.   This may be a particularly ominous sign as foreigners have been the one group of investors supporting this market as net buyers of Japanese equities since late May.

43.   UAL Corp., Chubb Corp. and Northwest Airlines Corp. all reported better-than-expected profits, helping support the market.

44.   Utility stocks helped support the market.

45.   Xerox Corp., UAL Corp., Chubb Corp. and Northwest Airlines Corp. also reported better-than-expected profits, helping support the market.

46.   Overnight strength in Nikkei futures in Chicago also supported the market, they said.

47.   Philippine stocks closed marginally higher in thin trading Tuesday, with bargain hunting and sliding interest rates supporting the market.

48.   A snow and ice storm in that region had been expected to support the market by hurting conditions in feedlots.

49.   A U.S. congressman pushing for liberalized aviation and maritime trade said Wednesday that Chinese officials still regard their nation as too undeveloped to support freer markets.

50.   Active buying of speculative issues by domestic brokerage houses and the relative stability of the dollar against the yen also contributed to supporting the market, Kurokawa said.