51.   The US economy continued to show signs of robust growth despite worries the Asian crises might dampen growth.

52.   They include rising oil prices, and stock market volatility, which can have the effect of discouraging consumer spending, thus dampening economic growth.

53.   Hitachi said earnings growth was dampened by the sharper-than-expected fall in microchip prices.

54.   But in south eastern Europe, fiscal tightening could dampen growth, while weaker domestic demand is seen as a hurdle to growth in the former Soviet republics.

55.   Tightening credit now, some have warned, could dampen growth unnecessarily.

56.   With the economy slowing down by itself, goes one argument, tightening the cost of credit could dampen growth more than would be healthy.

57.   The latter option could be particularly attractive in the height of a presidential campaign, as tightening credit will eventually dampen growth.