1.   The London Interbank Offered Rate has come to be widely used as a benchmark rate, deposit and loan rates being set on margins related to LIBOR.

2.   An afternoon rally in bonds, fueled by speculation the Federal Reserve will hold back on raising benchmark borrowing rates next week, also helped stocks.

3.   Among its proposals, the FCC will announce a new set of benchmark settlement rates, much lower than the current rates.

4.   Bank profits often depend on how much more than benchmark rates they can charge for money.

5.   Banks traditionally have only changed variable rates when the central bank raises or lowers the benchmark short-term rate.

6.   Before stocks opened for trading, the Fed cut its benchmark rate by half a percentage point.

7.   A benchmark rate for pricing bank loans, Libor is the rate international banks charge each other for loans.

8.   A weaker dollar had prompted speculation among traders that the Bank of Canada would raise its benchmark overnight rate to prop up the currency.

9.   Britain, France, Denmark and Spain all cut benchmark rates this week to help encourage growth.

10.   Economists expect China to loosen price controls on grain this year, adding several percentage points to the benchmark inflation rate.