"But it's not a bad assumption" for the market to bet on a rate decline, she said.

Because it fears inflation, he said, the Fed does not "want a colossal rate decline and explosive consumer spending in the United States."

The rate decline, in turn, caused a dramatic rush out of marks and into dollars before the trade figures were announced in Washington, dealers said.

Two factors are combining to make a rate decline less likely, despite the positive environment.

In his view, the portion of the rate decline attributable to these factors will give the economy only a minor lift.

Now, as then, gold prices rose sharply in response to the rate decline, and the dollar weakened.

But that rate decline may have been more a result of the surprise than of longer range fundamentals.

The Nassau Grouper is in a very high rate decline and is at serious risk of becoming extinct.

The rate decline ensured another quarter of good performance for bond funds.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 51.66, to 2,958.41, also advancing on the purchasing managers' report and the Japanese rate decline.