41.   Hashimoto and his Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition late yesterday approved proposals to reform the government that shy away from radical change.

42.   Hashimoto sparked declines of the dollar and U.S. stocks late yesterday when he said Japan might sell Treasuries unless the U.S. cooperates in keeping exchange rates stable.

43.   However, HP did gain support late yesterday when, Interex, an international association of HP users, announced Monday that it has endorsed the merger.

44.   In Denver for the Western Hemisphere Trade Pact, top officials from both sides met late yesterday on the auto issue.

45.   In financial markets, government bonds rose briefly but then continued a decline that started late yesterday.

46.   Investors thought so because late yesterday, Grace disclosed that Hercules Inc., another maker of specialty chemicals, proposed that the two chemicals businesses be merged.

47.   Intel Corp. late yesterday posted second-quarter results that fell short of estimates because of rising costs.

48.   Intel Corp. and Motorola Inc. led semiconductor shares higher after Micron Technology Inc. reported better-than-expected profits late yesterday.

49.   Intel Corp. late yesterday posted results that fell short of estimates because of rising costs.

50.   Iselin, New Jersey-based Engelhard and Ford Motor Co. late yesterday said the PremAir catalyst coating system on radiators converted less ozone to oxygen than expected.