1.   Amerco will retire the shares, leaving Edward Shoen and other members of management with majority control of the company.

2.   Companies repurchasing stock sometimes retire the shares, making those still in circulation a bit more valuable.

3.   Earnings per share rose slightly because the company has been buying back and retiring shares.

4.   Under current rules, companies must retire repurchased shares or use them to back employee stock options programs, which few Japanese companies have.

5.   US Airways said yesterday it will retire the shares it repurchases.

6.   Open-ended mutuals can be bought and sold at any time directly through the sponsoring firm, which creates and retires shares as needed to keep up with demand.