1.   Federal tax beaks for heating-oil customers, truckers, farmers and other heavy fuel consumers can help on a piecemeal basis.

2.   In the end, investors bid share prices higher on hopes that lower interest rates will help fuel consumer spending.

3.   Mexican shares rose on optimism that lower interest rates will fuel higher consumer spending next year as the cost of credit falls.

4.   Sanders and virtually every other federal officeholder from the Northeast have also been pressing for more immediate help to besieged fuel consumers.

5.   Slowing inflation gave a boost to shares of some food and retail stocks on optimism it will cut manufacturing costs and fuel consumer spending.

6.   Strong growth in local businesses, such as Boeing and Microsoft, is helping fuel consumer confidence, said retailers.

7.   That does little or nothing to fuel current consumer spending.

8.   Chemicals gained as a result of the fall in the oil prices, because the industry is a heavy fuel consumer.