21.   The Swedish krona retreated against the mark amid speculation Swedish interest rates may soon be cut.

22.   The weak krona means all imported goods become more expensive in terms of Swedish kronor.

23.   There have been panic runs on the French franc, the Swedish krona, the British pound, the Italian lira and the Mexican peso.

24.   Traders sold German marks Monday to buy Swedish kronor after Swedish voters, in a weekend referendum, approved entering the European Union.

25.   A drop in value of the Swedish krona against the euro and the dollar also was cited.

26.   A company statement said the decline was due to the stronger Swedish krona and rising costs.

27.   Meanwhile, the mark soared Tuesday to post-World War II highs against the British pound, French franc, Spanish peseta, Portuguese escudo and Swedish krona.

28.   Still, proponents offer good reasons for replacing the Swedish kronor with the euro and they appear to be having an effect.

29.   The company said Friday that the plunge was due to significantly higher marketing costs, the stronger Swedish krona and higher costs for product development.

30.   The declining value of the Swedish krona was another contributing factor, the company said.