91.   He said the IMF commended the Philippines for being able to implement its economic programs despite the difficulties caused by the regional financial crisis.

92.   He said the regional monetary crisis, which also affected buyers such as Japan and Korea, had resulted in a decline in the regional property sector.

93.   High interest rates, which have caused business activity to slow, and the ongoing regional financial crisis remain the main causes of the economic contraction, economists say.

94.   However, one Vietnamese analyst said Khai was short on specifics because the regional economic crisis remains volatile and the government wants flexibility in dealing with it.

95.   However, the severe regional economic crises and their heavy losses in these countries have alerted them to the risk attendant on investment in emerging markets in Asia.

96.   However, there has been no progress on that front because of the regional financial crisis.

97.   If exports continue to expand for two more months, it could signal that Taiwan has weathered the regional economic crisis, officials said.

98.   IMF Deputy Managing Director Stanley Fischer said Monday in Kuala Lumpur that the worst is over for countries embroiled in the regional crisis.

99.   Improving efficiency and competitiveness is more urgent than ever because of the regional crisis in which most Asian countries have heavily devalued their currencies.

100.   In addition to feeling the effects of the regional crisis, the once booming economy of Hong Kong also had to weather the reunification shock.