11.   The decline stems from an increase in costs of providing technical assistance to other Asian automakers, the paper said.

12.   The earnings decline stems from a slowdown in sales, Cheyenne said.

13.   The decline stemmed from discounting at the end of December and higher sales of hard goods, which have lower margins than apparel, analysts said.

14.   The decline in rates stems from a rally in recent weeks in the market for U.S. Treasury bonds, an important barometer of interest-rate trends.

15.   The decline stemmed from jitters the management shake-up may indicate further trouble for the carmaker, traders said.