Shareholders in those home-building companies, meanwhile, saw their returns decline by 1.3 percent, on average.

After all, they reasoned, most films see their returns decline as weeks go by.

If inflation is running at about 5 percent, however, the return declines by 5 percent of $10,000, or $500, during the year.

Should annual returns decline from their double-digit levels, those expenses could be a big drag on performance.

In the 1980s, sockeye escapement or returns of adult fish had declined to an average less than 10,000 annually.

The authors also propose that the return on investment declines with age.

Another aspect of this change is that the return on investment has declined sharply.

If returns on assets are declining, and corporate profits are clearly going down, people tend to sell before things get too bad.

Should one invest less because the returns are declining?

In dollar terms, the return declined 2.27 percent for 1989.