The word "converge"(Line 1, Para. 4) can be best replaced by "______".

A．the purchasing managers in industry sectors gained less salaries than they had before
B．the manufacturing companies needed more skilled employees to fill the vacant jobs
C．the slowdown in the housing market might cause the decline in mortgage approvals
D．the drop in the value of new loans accompanied the decline in mortgage approvals

A．It was less intense than the one at the end of the 1980s.
B．It indicated that the house prices might rise in the future.
C．It made the interest rates stay at the highest point.
D．It exerted some bad influence on the manufacturing sector.