31.   Companies and other borrowers, meantime, are lining up to sell debt, taking advantage of some of the lowest borrowing rates in decades.

32.   Companies are eager to sell debt to lock in the lowest borrowing rates in eight months.

33.   Credit ratings are important to securities firms like Merrill because they sell debt to finance their holdings of stocks and bonds.

34.   Companies have been eager to sell debt because Treasury bond yields, which companies use as a benchmark to price their own debt, are still relatively low.

35.   Companies, municipalities and agencies sold new debt today while Treasury bonds were little changed.

36.   Debt rating agencies downgraded Mercury commercial paper, which meant the company could not sell debt to investors, such as mutual funds and insurers.

37.   Credit ratings are important to securities firms because they sell debt to finance their stock and bond holdings.

38.   Dayton Hudson Corp. knows a bargain when it sees one, especially when it comes to selling corporate debt.

39.   Dionne said the company would likely fund future acquisitions with its own cash or sell more debt.

40.   Earlier this month, Apple Computer Inc. said it may sell convertible debt to shore up its dwindling cash balances and to finance a reorganization of its businesses.