2019年经济学人 一周要闻 美联储预计今年不再加息 德银和德商银行合并遇阻 百威英博大换血（在线收听）

The world this week

本周要闻

Business

商业

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, and suggested it would not raise them at all this year (in December the Fed indicated rates might be lifted twice in 2019). It is also to slow the pace at which it shrinks its portfolio of Treasury holdings from May, and stop reducing its balance-sheet in September.

美联储维持利率不变，并暗示今年不会加息(去年12月美联储曾表示，2019年可能会加息两次)。美联储还将放缓从5月份开始缩减国债持有的速度，并在9月份停止缩减资产负债表。

After months of speculation, DEUtsche Bank and Commerzbank said they would explore a merger. A combined entity would be Europe’s third-biggest bank and hold about one-fifth of German deposits. The German government is thought to favour a tie-up between the Frankfurt neighbours. A deal faces many hurdles, not least from unions opposed to the potential 30,000 job losses.

经过数月的猜测，德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)和德国商业银行(Commerzbank)表示，它们将考虑合并。合并后的实体将成为欧洲第三大银行，持有德国约五分之一的存款。外界认为，德国政府倾向于让这两家位于法兰克福且相邻的银行合并。而合并协议面临多层阻碍，尤其是工会，他们担心此举或将导致3万人失业。

In one of the biggest deals to take place in the financial-services industry since the end of the financial crisis, Fidelity National Information Services, a fintech company, offered to buy Worldpay, a payment-processor, in a $43bn transaction. It is the latest in a string of acquisitions in the rapidly consolidating payments industry amid a shift to cashless transactions.

金融科技公司富达国家信息服务公司提出以430亿美元收购支付处理平台Worldpay，这是金融危机结束以来金融服务业最大的交易之一。随着支付行业快速整合并转向无现金交易之际，这次收购成为该行业一系列收购案中的最新一例。

Lyft gave an indicative price range for its forthcoming IPO of up to $68 a share, which would value it at $23bn and make it one of the biggest tech flotations in recent years. Uber, Lyft’s larger rival, is expected to soon launch its IPO.

Lyft对其即将进行的IPO（首次公开募股）给出了一个发行价区间，最高为每股68美元，这将使其估值达到230亿美元，成为近年来规模最大的科技股上市公司之一。而规模更大的竞争对手优步(Uber)预计将很快启动上市计划。

Bayer’s share price swooned, after another jury found that someone’s cancer had developed through exposure to a weedkiller made by Monsanto, which Bayer acquired last year. The German drugs and chemicals company has been under the spotlight since August, when a jury reached a similar verdict in a separate case.

在又一个陪审团发现有人因接触孟山都公司生产的除草剂患上癌症后，拜耳的股价应声暴跌。孟山都公司去年被拜耳收购。自去年8月一个陪审团在另一起案件中做出类似裁决以来，这家德国制药与化学品公司一直是外界关注的焦点。

Brother, can you spare a dime?

兄弟，能借一笔钱吗?

Anil Ambani avoided a three-month prison sentence when his brother, Mukesh, stepped in at the last minute to help pay the $77m that a court ordered was owed to Ericsson for work it did at Anil’s now-bankrupt telecoms firm. Anil Ambani, who was once ranked the world’s sixth-richest man, said he was “touched” by his brother’s gesture.

阿尼尔·安巴尼(Anil Ambani)托哥哥穆凯什·安巴尼的福，避免了三个月的监禁，穆凯什在最后时刻慷慨解囊，替他支付了法庭裁定的7700万美元的罚款，这笔钱是阿尼尔名下已破产的电信公司拖欠爱立信(Ericsson)公司的欠款。曾在全球富豪榜上排名第六的安尼尔·安巴尼(Anil Ambani)表示，他对哥哥的仗义相助十分“感动”。

AB InBev shook up its board, appointing a new chairman and replacing directors. The changes are meant to reassure investors that the brewer intends to revitalise its drooping share price and pay down the $103bn in net debt it accumulated in a spree of acquisitions. They also reduce the influence of 3G Capital, a private-equity firm that helped create AB InBev via several mergers. 3G’s strategy has been called into question by mounting problems at Kraft Heinz, another corporate titan it helped bring about.

百威英博(AB InBev)改组了董事会，任命了一位新董事长，并更换了董事。这些变化意在安抚投资者：这家啤酒制造商打算重振其不断下跌的股价，并偿还其在一系列收购中累积的1030亿美元净债务。这也降低了私募股权公司3G Capital的影响力，这家私募股权公司通过几宗并购帮助创建了百威英博。3G Capital的战略因卡夫亨氏(Kraft Heinz)不断增加的问题受到了质疑。卡夫亨氏是3G Capital帮助促成的另一家企业巨头。