2019年经济学人 一周要闻 美国“松绑”华为 美国股市飙升 美联储或下调利率（在线收听）

America began an investigation into France’s planned digital-services tax. The Trump administration says the 3% levy on the French revenues of big internet firms unfairly targets American companies like Google and Amazon. Its probe could result in America imposing tariffs or other trade restrictions. Several European countries are mulling digital taxes, though all say they would prefer a global deal—which the oecd, a club of rich countries, is trying to broker.

美国开始调查法国计划征收的数字服务税。特朗普政府表示，法国对大型互联网公司征收3%的税收不公平地针对谷歌和亚马逊等美国公司。它的调查可能导致美国征收关税或施加其他贸易限制。一些欧洲国家正在考虑征收数字税，尽管他们都表示更愿意达成一项全球性的协议——由富裕国家组成的经合组织正试图从中斡旋。

The Trump administration said it would issue licences allowing American companies to sell their products to Huawei, a Chinese technology firm, provided that the sales do not threaten national security. In May, after trade talks with China collapsed, America had blacklisted the Chinese telecoms firm over security concerns related to its links to the Communist Party of China. President Trump agreed to allow Huawei to resume sales to American firms last month.

特朗普政府表示，将发放许可证，允许美国公司向中国科技公司华为销售产品，前提是这些销售不威胁国家安全。今年5月，在与中国的贸易谈判破裂后，美国将这家中国电信公司列入了黑名单，原因是担心其与中国共产党的关系存在安全隐患。上个月，特朗普总统同意允许华为恢复对美国公司的销售。

America’s stockmarkets soared after Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, hinted that the central bank is looking to cut interest rates this month. Investors piled into shares after Mr Powell cited concerns that the trade war with China and a global slowdown could hurt growth in America. The s&p 500 index of shares touched 3,000 for the first time.

美联储主席杰罗姆·鲍威尔暗示将在本月下调利率后，美国股市飙升。在鲍威尔提到担心与中国的贸易战和全球经济放缓可能损害美国经济增长后，投资者纷纷涌入股市。标准普尔500指数首次触及3000点。

Mr Powell also warned that plans by Facebook to build a digital currency called Libra raise “serious concerns”. The central banker told America’s House of Representatives that Facebook should address fears about privacy, money laundering, consumer protection and financial stability before moving forward with the project. Several executives at the social network are scheduled to be questioned by Congress later this month.

鲍威尔还警告称，Facebook建立一种名为Libra的数字货币的计划引发了“严重担忧”。这位美联储主席告诉美国众议院，在推进该项目之前，Facebook应该先解决外界对隐私、洗钱、消费者保护和金融稳定的担忧。这家社交网络公司的几名高管将于本月晚些时候接受国会质询。

A profit warning from BASF, the world’s largest maker of chemicals, weighed heavily on the German stockmarket. The company slashed its forecast for full-year earnings by 30%. In response its share price slid by 5%. The company blamed a global economic slowdown, caused by the trade war between America and China, as well as a “particularly strong” downturn in car manufacturing, for the downgrade.

全球最大的化学品制造商巴斯夫发布的盈利预警给德国股市带来沉重压力。该公司将全年盈利预期下调了30%。作为回应，其股价下跌了5%。该公司将降级归咎于中美贸易战导致的全球经济放缓，以及汽车制造业“特别强劲”的低迷。

A Brazilian judge ordered Vale, a mining giant, to pay full compensation for damage caused when one of its dams in the north of the country broke in January, killing at least 248 people. Vale must stump up for all the effects of the disaster, including the cost of the economic hit to the region. The judge said it was still not possible to calculate a final figure for the total amount Vale will have to pay.

巴西一名法官命令矿业巨头淡水河谷公司全额赔偿其1月份在巴西北部的一座水坝决堤所造成的损失，该事故造成至少248人死亡。淡水河谷必须为这场灾难的所有影响负责，包括对该地区经济造成的损失。法官表示，淡水河谷必须支付的总金额仍无法计算出最终数字。