31.   The conflict also boosted oil prices, which hurt the yen because Japan imports almost all its oil.

32.   The conflict boosted oil prices, which hurt the yen because Japan imports almost all its oil.

33.   The record-low rates in Japan hurt the yen by prompting investors there to search overseas for better returns.

34.   The tension in the Middle East hurt the yen because Japan imports almost all its oil.

35.   The yen is hurt by the sluggish Japanese economy, while the euro suffers from government policies that limit growth and from worries over Yugoslavia and Russia.

36.   This hurts the yen because it makes it harder for Japan to pull out of a six-year slump.

37.   Those low rates have spurred Japanese investors to look abroad for higher returns, hurting the yen.

38.   Tumbling currencies and the economic slowdown in Asia will hurt the yen because Japanese exports to the region will decline and Asian goods will become cheaper in Japan.

39.   Traders and economists say the persistent economic, banking and currency crises in Japan and its Asian neighbors will hurt the yen in coming months.

40.   Also hurting the yen were news reports that Japanese banks are having trouble raising funds overseas amid concern over the health of major Japanese financial institutions, traders said.