1.   Mrs. Paoni knew nothing of this, of course, and disapproves of the giddy investment sprees in Asia.

2.   To secure supplies, Chinese state companies have gone on overseas buying and investment sprees.

3.   The central bank said the investment spree had relented since August due to an overall economic slowdown.

4.   The investment spree, however, worries some market observers, as many Taiwanese microchip firms are also poised to join the market for similar reasons.