1.   An academic study last year suggested Nasdaq market makers had somehow colluded to fatten their profit.

2.   Any number of companies, he says, still have room to fatten profits through cost-cutting, particularly downsizing.

3.   All of those businesses have been running at record levels so far this year, fattening profits for all of the established securities firms.

4.   By keeping people healthier, the companies say, they hold down costs and fatten their profits.

5.   Consumer advocates say some HMOs try to fatten their profits by selectively recruiting healthy beneficiaries and shunning sicker patients.

6.   Economically sensitive issues rallied yesterday on optimism falling interest rates will fatten corporate profits this year.

7.   Economically sensitive issues rallied on optimism falling interest rates will fatten corporate profits this year.

8.   Investors had expected falling interest rates to spur demand for equities and fatten corporate profits by driving borrowing costs lower.

9.   Like Ford and Chrysler, GM has fattened its profits by scaling back less profitable sales to commercial fleets and reducing rebates and other incentives to retail customers.

10.   Lower rates fatten profits of bank and insurance companies.