21.   Banks were reluctant to sell dollars because of the foreign debt payments they must make.

22.   Because of the losses, Americans feared Japanese would liquidate some of their U.S. assets in bonds and stocks and sell dollars for yen.

23.   Bonds and the currency usually move in tandem as investors purchase or sell dollars they need to buy or redeem bonds.

24.   Bonds began the session down when the dollar dropped against the Japanese yen because investors feared the Japanese central bank would sell dollars to support the yen.

25.   A Bank of Japan spokesman in New York declined to comment on reports that the bank sold dollars.

26.   A portion of mark-yen trades are done through the dollar, meaning traders sell yen for dollars and then sell those dollars for marks.

27.   A Ministry of Finance official declined to comment on whether the central bank sold dollars today.

28.   A lot of traders, therefore, were buying dollars for yen and then selling the dollars for pounds.

29.   A Ministry of Finance official declined to comment on whether the central bank sold dollars.

30.   A sell-off in U.S. securities often prompts foreigners to sell dollars for marks, yen or other currencies.