1.   And higher domestic interest rates have caused a downturn in Argentina, which has a dollar-linked economy.

2.   Consumption will thus be forgone, and this is what causes downturns, because consumer activity fuels two-thirds of economic growth.

3.   The downturn was caused by weak U.S. demand for power-generation services and falling prices amid stiff competition, continuing a year-long pattern, Westinghouse said.

4.   In this context, it will be appropriate to examine what caused the downturn.

5.   Hui said it was difficult to establish precisely what had caused the downturn but praised effective policing.

6.   The European Union on Friday warned Zagreb that continued intransigence from hardline Bosnian Croats here could cause a downturn in EU-Croatian relations.

7.   The downturn was caused by a lack of favourable leads, concerns over the budget deficit and signs of political in-fighting in the government.

8.   The downturn was caused by a global personal-computer glut which led prices of memory chips and other components to plunge.