71.   Pessimism over the economy helped push Japanese stocks to their lowest level in more than two years and prompted investors to sell yen.

72.   Record low Japanese interest rates have prompted Japanese to sell yen for other currencies, such as Australian dollars, to invest abroad for higher returns.

73.   Record-low Japanese rates have prompted Japanese to sell yen to invest abroad for higher returns.

74.   Seeking higher returns abroad, Japanese investors sell yen for dollars and other currencies to buy foreign securities such as bonds.

75.   Since U.S. bonds and stocks recovered yesterday, Japanese will keep selling yen for dollars to invest in U.S. assets, traders said.

76.   So far the dollar has been supported against the yen by Japanese who sell yen for other currencies to invest overseas for higher returns.

77.   So traders were selling yen for dollars and then selling the dollars for marks.

78.   Since the mark is a central currency in Europe, Italy would likely sell the yen for marks before converting the funds into lira, Hashimoto said.

79.   Such measures have helped weaken the yen by prompting expectations Japanese will sell yen for other currencies to invest abroad.

80.   Such purchases would help the dollar because Japanese investors must sell yen to acquire the dollars necessary to buy U.S. bonds.