31.   But executives close to the companies say that the companies have held talks, in fits and starts, for months.

32.   But Fiorina said the company was holding to its revenue-loss assumption.

33.   But in most regions, executives say, companies are holding the line -- an assertion that is backed up by some Labor Department data and Federal Reserve surveys.

34.   But interviews with more than a dozen former executives and managers suggest that the company at times also held back trading profits to serve its political and financial ends.

35.   But other analysts and investors believe that the company will hold its ground.

36.   But the local phone companies are holding their own right now.

37.   But with turmoil continuing to roil emerging markets, he says European companies hold the best opportunities for investors.

38.   By settling now, it can forestall a legal ruling that the company holds a monopoly in the personal computer operating-system business.

39.   California has contended for many months that power companies were holding back juice to artificially push wholesale prices higher.

40.   Changes-from-value is the value of shares the company holds.