1. Sales had improved by midyear.

2. In 1982 eight ministers lost their jobs in a mid-year cabinet reshuffle.

3. Investors and analysts took that to mean a rate cut before mid-year is out of the question.

4. But in the fund's midyear report, they said the price drop permitted the fund to add to its position at lower prices.

5. When the stock market hit a pothole around midyear, some analysts pulled in their horns.

6. The finish for the year was a blistering 37. 61 percent, but that was still behind the performance at midyear.

7. Greenspan suggested the recession might run its course by midyear.

8. Two days after the tower opened, Hyundai vowed it would break the record by midyear.

9. That means a jump to a new standard, SXGA, and its sharp 1280-by-1024 pixel resolution, possibly by midyear.

10. The central bank's officials are actively debating whether to begin winding down bond buying after midyear.