1.   In addition, it would provide a boon to Wall Street, as it sold securities to many millions of new customers.

2.   Stock losses provided a boon for bonds, however, as some investors sought the relative safety of government debt.

3.   The new funds are providing a boon in research by scientists and biotech companies that have long shunned a field in which profits seemed as unlikely as a cure.

4.   The report also predicted a growing demand for telecoms equipment, providing a boon to the manufacturing sectors.

5.   The work has provided a boon to advertisers, who have festooned buildings under restoration with huge banners peddling makeup, designer clothes and laundry powder.