11.   And lower rates boost stocks by making it less expensive for companies to borrow money and invest.

12.   And that in turn helps stocks by making it cheaper for companies to borrow, leaving more for profits and potentially lifting stock prices as well.

13.   Any rise in rates to forestall inflation also hurts stocks by making it more expensive for companies to borrow money and invest.

14.   As an alternative to the capital increase, the company could borrow, or sell shares in cellular phone company Omnitel-Pronto Italia or multimedia group Telemedia.

15.   As China tightened credit to curb inflation, it became harder for these companies to borrow.

16.   As more companies borrow, there will likely be more defaults by the end of the decade, Stark said.

17.   Banks gained on optimism a recent downturn in interest rates would make it more attractive for companies to borrow money.

18.   Banks may raise lending rates to protect their earnings margins, making it more expensive for companies to borrow and hammering profit growth.

19.   Besides boosting company borrowing costs, higher interest rates can slow economic growth by lowering consumer demand for credit to buy homes and goods.

20.   Big companies borrow more than smaller ones in the bond market, making their earnings more vulnerable to the highest interest rates in a year.