As a result, the ratio of output to input for those final-goods producers, which is to say their productivity, would be higher: it would reflect the unmeasured improvement in service-supplier productivity after all.

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The net result is that its capital ratio becomes bigger, and the bank - all other things being equal (that ghastly qualification again) - becomes stronger.

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As a result of excellent results, the combined ratio had a 9.9% improvement (before catastrophe losses) to 96.1% for the full year 2012.

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The 30-year-old American offered possible explanations as to why a test result showed his testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio was out of whack.

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While the ability of some smaller banks to lend is restricted by the loan-to-deposit ratio regulations, sluggish credit expansion was not primarily a result of liquidity constraints, Barclays analysts said.

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The result will be that RBS's core capital ratio hits a whopping 12.4%, about double the level at JPMorgan Chase, America's soundest big bank.

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As a result, Australia's terms of trade (the ratio of the prices of exports to imports) is at its highest level for 30 years.

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As a result, the team lowered its debt-to-equity ratio to 1.8 from 2.

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When the ratio is higher than 4 to 1, it's considered a positive result.

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