1.   And yet, in most ways Bangladesh now is decidedly in less of a mess, with the poverty rate drifting down and economic growth rates inching up.

2.   But despite the growing psychological momentum toward recovery, economists warned that the unemployment rate could still inch higher in the coming months.

3.   Japanese crime rates have been inching upward in recent years, but the trend is not nearly so striking as most Japanese think.

4.   Most analysts expected the rate to inch higher.

5.   Most analysts expected the unemployment rate to inch higher.

6.   That is why the unemployment rate inched up, although the rise was too small to be statistically significant, the bureau said.

7.   Yet in most ways Bangladesh is now decidedly in less of a mess, with the poverty rate drifting down and economic growth rates inching up.

8.   Six-month and one-year rates inched higher.