1.   Commissioners Linda Breathitt and William Massey, both Bill Clinton appointees who supported firmer price caps, finally agreed to the order with slight reservations.

2.   Firmer prices for crude oil coupled with the sale of assets in Angola helped offset a drop in production.

3.   The five positive influences were firmer stock prices, a surge in building permits, consumer confidence, money supply and a drop in average weekly jobless claims.

4.   Among the possible pitfalls to firmer prices would be a decision by Indonesia, Nigeria or Venezuela to break ranks and continue producing at current levels or beyond.

5.   Analysts said the market interpreted signs such as firmer prices for semiconductors as indicating that high-tech will benefit from the economic recovery.

6.   A number of factors contributed to firmer prices in the United States.

7.   A slightly firmer crude price -- mainly on the back of Kuwait production fears following a pipeline explosion -- and positive noises from Goldman Sachs were the main drivers.

8.   Among the sectors to rise, oil stocks lifted on the firmer price of Brent crude oil.

9.   An export retention plan agreed by Colombia and the producer countries of central Africa also contributed to firmer prices.

10.   Cutting back on hedging would usually indicate that companies expect firmer prices in future.