Final answer:
The Maturity stage is when sales growth slows and competition focuses more on reducing costs. In financial markets, a rise in supply will typically lead to a decline in interest rates and increase the quantity of loans made and received.
Step-by-step explanation:
The stage of the sales life cycle of a product in question where sales continue to increase but at a decreasing rate, often marked by a heightened focus on reducing costs due to increased competition, is known as the Maturity stage. This stage is characterized by a high level of market penetration, and businesses may seek to innovate or reduce prices to maintain their market share.
Additionally, regarding the provided information on the financial market, a decline in interest rates is typically caused by an increase in the supply of money within the economy. As supply increases, it tends to put downward pressure on the price of borrowing money, which in finance is represented by interest rates. Thus, the correct answer to the question on what can lead to a decline in interest rates is a rise in supply (option C).
Conversely, an increase in the quantity of loans made and received in the financial market can be a result of either a rise in demand for loans or a rise in supply. However, a rise in supply of money for loans will likely have a more direct impact on increasing the quantity of loans, as it directly increases the availability of funds to lend.