1.   Despite the cuts, Merrill Lynch and other Wall Street executives are gloomy about their prospects this year.

2.   In Japan, the Ministry of Finance announces its midterm fiscal prospects every year, but they are merely compiled mechanically and have no binding power.

3.   On the other hand, Asian stocks traded in the United States turned higher, as traders projected good growth prospects this year.

4.   Republican leaders maintain that the prospects this year have improved.

5.   The company has six new prospects this year in the Gulf of Mexico.

6.   The health insurance industry also faces the prospect this year of legislation that would weaken the power of insurers to control access to medical services.

7.   The New York State Senate defeated a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize casino gambling on non-Indian lands, tabling for several years prospects for widespread gambling in New York.

8.   The top prospects this year, though, are from the big schools.

9.   Two Senate supporters of the amendment differed about its prospects this year.

10.   Towns won that race easily and he appears just as confident about his prospects this year.