The U.S. government says 10 of America's biggest banks need a total of $75 billion in additional capital to survive if the recession deepens. The disclosure is contained in the results of so-called "stress tests" for top lending institutions that were announced Thursday.
美国政府说，如果经济衰退加深，10家美国最大的银行需要增加总额为750亿美元的额外资本金才能生存。星期四华盛顿公布了美国大型银行 “压力测试”结果。
Since last October, the U.S. government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up ailing American banks and other institutions in hopes of rescuing the nation's battered financial system and unfreezing tight credit conditions that were choking the economy.
自去年10月以来，美国政府已花费了几百亿美元来支撑陷入困境的美国银行和其他机构，希望能挽救美国摇摇欲坠的金融系统，并解冻导致经济窒息的信贷条件紧缩。
The effort seems to have worked -- to a point. Although several well-known American banks and financial institutions failed last year, a complete collapse of the U.S. banking industry did not occur, and signs of improved credit flows have since emerged.
这些努力似乎已经奏效，但是仅仅在某一程度上。尽管去年有一些美国著名的银行和金融机构倒台，但美国银行业的大崩溃并没有发生，而且有迹象显示，信贷流动的改善已经出现。
Even so, the threat has not ended, particularly if the current economic recession drags on or worsens. That is the message delivered by the Obama administration and the U.S. central bank, which collaborated on an exhaustive effort to review the health of America's 19 biggest private lending institutions.
即使如此，威胁并没有结束，特别是如果目前的经济衰退继续恶化。这就是美国奥巴马政府和美国中央银行所传达的信息。他们通力合作。详尽地对美国19家最大的私人贷款机构的健康状况进行了一次评估。
Nine of the 19 were deemed safe from failure in the event of further economic shock. But 10 others must boost their capital reserves to provide a cushion in case economic conditions grow worse. Chief among them is America's largest retail bank, Bank of America, which is now tasked with raising nearly $34 billion. Wells Fargo needs $13.7 billion, while Citigroup must raise $5.5 billion.
19家金融机构中，有9家被认为是即使发生进一步的经济冲击仍然能够安全运营，但是有10家必须提高它们的资本储备，从而在经济状况恶化的状况下为它们提供一个缓冲。其中最主要是美国最大的零售银行，美国银行，目前面临需筹资近三百四十亿 美元的任务。富国银行需要一百三十七亿美元，而花旗集团必须筹资55亿美元。
Appearing alongside Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner struck a cautiously optimistic tone.
和联邦储备委员会主席伯南克一起出现的美国财政部副部长盖特纳在讲话中表达了谨慎的乐观。
"The leaders of our nation's banks have a lot to do to earn back the public's trust. Things are improving in financial markets, but we have a long way to go. It is just the beginning, and we are going to keep working to try to make sure this financial system is in a stronger position so it can provide the credit necessary for recovery," he said.
盖特纳说：“我国银行业的领袖们有很多工作要做，才能挽回公众的信任。金融市场有所改善，但我们仍有很长的路要走。这仅仅是个开始，我们将继续努力，以确保金融体系处于更有利的地位，使其能够恢复提供必要的信贷。 ”
Some economists have questioned whether the stress tests were rigorous enough to provide a true gauge of health in America's banking sector.
一些经济学家质疑这次压力测试是否足够严格从而为确定美国银行业的健康状况提供真正的衡量。
Where will banks obtain the additional capital they need? Most funds from a massive $700 billion federal rescue package have already been spent. The Obama administration says it is not inclined to ask Congress for additional funds, and that banks will have to rely primarily on private sources to raise capital in the future. As stress test results were being released, several lending institutions announced common stock offerings to raise cash.
银行从哪里才能获得所需的更多的资本呢？美国政府提供的七千亿美元联邦救援计划大部分资金已经用完。奥巴马政府说，美国政府不倾向于要求国会额外注资，银行将主要依靠私人来源筹集未来的资金。压力测试结果公布之后，一些贷款机构宣布发行普通股，以筹集现金。
In other economic news, the number of newly-laid off Americans applying for jobless benefits fell to a three-month low last week, although the cumulative number of Americans getting unemployment checks remains at an all-time high. U.S. retail sales edged higher in April, while U.S. consumer borrowing fell in March. U.S. productivity gains slightly exceeded most analysts' expectations in the first quarter of the year.
On Thursday Wall Street's Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 102 points, or 1.2%. |