21.   With the halt to the sales, private banks will probably lower their rates for these benchmark deposits, economists said.

22.   Gronkiewicz said the bank will lower the rates as soon as the inflation is brought down.

23.   If the bank lowers the rates, it will surprise the market, he said.

24.   It is the third time the bank has lowered rates in three weeks.

25.   It marked the fourth straight month the bank lowered its view on the economy, which has been stuck in a downturn for a decade.

26.   Since then, the bank has meekly lowered interest rates, because economic growth in Europe had cooled off alarmingly.

27.   Some banks also lowered variable-rate mortgages.

28.   Some forecast the bank will lower rates now to give the cuts time to work.

29.   The bank has lowered the rate on overnight loans between banks so low that lenders earn only enough to cover their transaction costs.

30.   The peso, meanwhile, strengthened against the U.S. dollar after banks lowered their rates for the U.S. currency following a sharp rally by the Japanese yen.