1.   This sector was the most optimistic about the near-term outlook, expecting much stronger sales in April.

2.   Analysts say their near-term outlook remains clouded by sluggish sales and currency devaluations in various Latin American, Asian and European nations.

3.   A number of companies, including Kellogg on Friday, have warned that the near-term outlook is not all that positive.

4.   Buick sales are up, Mertz said, but the near-term outlook is soft.

5.   But the near-term outlook is still in the balance between bullish and bearish forces, according to analysts.

6.   Despite these gains, some strategists remained cautious about the near-term outlook for stocks.

7.   Greenspan and his colleagues, who meet again at the end of the month, may also influence the near-term outlook for the dollar.

8.   In the last two weeks, Bradlees Inc. and Venture Stores Inc. said their sales are sagging and their near-term outlook is poor.

9.   Investors sold Intel stock because of fears about the near-term outlook for the personal computer market.

10.   Karen E. Parker, a currency strategist at the Chase Manhattan Bank, acknowledged that the Japanese had altered the near-term outlook for the yen.