2019年经济学人 一周要闻 美联储干预货币市场 美联储下调基准利率 沙特将恢复原油生产

 

The world this week

本周要闻

Business

商业

Saudi Arabia sought to assure markets that oil production levels would return to normal within weeks following the attack on two oil facilities, which cut around 5.7m barrels of oil a day from output. Analysts¹ are sceptical that production can recover in such a short timespan. The attack had caused a huge spike² in the price of Brent crude.

在两家石油设施遭袭后，沙特试图向市场保证，石油产量将在数周内恢复正常，石油设施遭袭导致沙特石油日产量减少约570万桶。分析师们怀疑产量能否在如此短的时间内恢复。此次袭击导致布伦特原油价格大幅飙升。

The Federal Reserve sliced its benchmark interest rate for the second time within two months, by another quarter of a percentage point to a range of between 1.75% and 2%. There has been mounting evidence that uncertainty³ over trade is starting to drag on the economy, especially manufacturing. But with services flourishing and consumer spending buoyant, two of the Fed’s rate-setters voted against a cut.

美联储在两个月内第二次将基准利率下调了0.25个百分点，至1.75%至2%的区间。越来越多的证据表明，贸易的不确定性正开始拖累经济，尤其是制造业。但随着服务业的繁荣和消费者支出的增加，美联储的两位利率制定者投票反对降息。

Earlier the Fed injected billions of dollars into the financial system because of an unexpected shortfall of cash available to banks, leading to a surge in the “repo rate” for overnight loans. It was the Fed’s first such surprise intervention⁴ in money markets since the financial crisis.

早些时候，由于银行可获得的现金意外短缺，美联储向金融体系注入了数十亿美元，导致隔夜贷款的“回购利率”飙升。这是自金融危机以来美联储首次出人意料地干预货币市场。

The chief economist⁵ of the European Central Bank defended its decision to cut interest rates and restart its quantitative-easing scheme amid fierce criticism from Germany and the Netherlands. The ecb reduced its main rate to -0.5%, taking it further into negative territory. Jens Weidmann, the head of Germany’s Bundesbank, said the ecb had overreacted to the euro zone’s slowdown. Bild, a German newspaper, lampooned⁶ Mario Draghi, the ecb’s soon-to-retire president, as Count Draghila, lamenting⁷ the “horror” for prudent⁸ savers who are being sucked dry. Mr Draghi steps down on Halloween.

在德国和荷兰的激烈批评下，欧洲央行(ecb)首席经济学家为其降息并重启量化宽松计划的决定进行了辩护。欧洲央行将其主要利率下调至-0.5%，使其进一步进入负增长。德国央行(Bundesbank)行长延斯·魏德曼(Jens Weidmann)表示，欧洲央行对欧元区经济放缓反应过度。德国《图片报》(Bild)讽刺即将退休的欧洲央行行长马里奥·德拉吉(Mario Draghi)为德拉吉拉伯爵(Count Draghila)，为谨慎的储蓄者被吸干的“恐惧”感到惋惜。德拉吉将在万圣节前夕卸任。

Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy⁹ protection, part of a tentative settlement it has reached with 24 states and thousands of local governments to resolve claims that the aggressive marketing¹⁰ of its OxyContin painkiller¹¹ contributed to America’s opioid crisis. Under its bankruptcy plan the drugmaker will become a public trust and the Sackler family will relinquish¹² ownership. Purdue says the settlement is worth $10bn, but that is not enough for the two dozen states, including California and New York, that are contesting the agreement.

普渡制药公司(Purdue Pharma)申请破产保护，这是该公司与24个州和数千个地方政府达成的初步和解协议的一部分，该和解协议旨在解决有关其奥昔康定(OxyContin)止痛药的过度营销导致美国阿片类药物危机的指控。根据破产计划，这家制药商将成为一家公共信托公司，萨克勒家族将放弃所有权。普渡大学表示，该和解协议价值100亿美元，但对于包括加州和纽约州在内的24个州来说，这还不够。

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 lampooned   

v.冷嘲热讽，奚落( lampoon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His cartoons mercilessly lampooned the politicians of his time. 他的漫画毫不留情地嘲讽了他那个年代的政治人物。
• He was lampooned for his political views. 他的政治观点使他成了受奚落的对象。 来自辞典例句

7 lamenting   

adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Katydids were lamenting fall's approach. 蝈蝈儿正为秋天临近而哀鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lamenting because the papers hadn't been destroyed and the money kept. 她正在吃后悔药呢，后悔自己没有毁了那张字条，把钱昧下来！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

8 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

9 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

10 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

11 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。

12 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。