2021年经济学人 美国消费物价指数飙升或暗示通胀压力（在线收听）

The world this week

本周国际要闻

Business

商业版块

American banks had a bumper first quarter, with profits and revenues beating analysts’ expectations. They were helped by frenzied market activity, such as the surge in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and retail investing. And, thanks to America’s recovering economy, some banks were able to release funds that had been set aside to cover bad loans. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both reported record revenues. Returns on tangible common equity, a measure which compares profits to capital, jumped to 29% at JPMorgan and to 33% at Goldman. Wells Fargo posted strong results too.

美国的银行在第一季度业绩斐然，利润和收入都超过了分析师的预期。他们得益于狂热的市场活动，如特殊目的收购公司(spacs)和零售投资的激增。而且，由于美国经济的复苏，一些银行能够释放出拨备资金，来弥补不良贷款。摩根大通(jpmorgan chase)和高盛(Goldman Sachs)都公布了创纪录的收入。摩根大通和高盛的有形普通股股本回报率(一种衡量利润与资本的指标)分别跃升至29%和33%。富国银行也公布了强劲的业绩。

Consumer prices in America rose by 2.6% in the 12 months ending in March, compared with 1.7% in February. The jump was in part caused by the fact that inflation figures compare prices today with what they were a year ago. That was when the first COVID-19 wave spread through the country, pushing down prices.

在截至今年3月份的12个月里，美国的消费物价指数上涨了2.6%，相比之下，2月份上涨了1.7%。通货膨胀数据将目前的消费物价指数与一年前进行对比是导致这次上涨的部分原因。当时，第一波新冠肺炎疫情席卷全国，压低了消费物价指数。

America’s budget deficit grew to a record $1.7trn in the six months since October. Federal spending soared last month, following the third round of stimulus payments aimed at boosting the economy.

自去年10月以来的六个月里，美国的预算赤字增长到了创纪录的1.7万亿美元。在发出第三轮旨在提振经济的刺激支票之后，上个月联邦的支出大幅增加。

Britain’s economy improved slightly in February as GDP grew by 0.4% compared with the previous month. The uptick was caused by a recovery in post-Brexit trade with the European Union and by businesses adapting to lockdown conditions.

英国经济在2月份有所改善，GDP比上个月增长了0.4%。这一上升主要得益于英国脱欧后与欧盟的贸易复苏，以及企业逐渐适应了封锁措施。

The International Energy Agency revised up this year’s forecast for the growth in oil demand by 230,000 barrels a day to 5.7m. The revision is the result of faster economic recoveries than previously expected, particularly in America and China.

国际能源署(IEA)将今年的石油需求增长预测上调了23万桶/天，比上年增加570万桶/日。这一调整是经济复苏速度超过预期的结果，尤其是中、美两国经济的良好势头。

Bernie Madoff, the former financial adviser, died aged 82. He was the mastermind behind the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme, which defrauded investors out of $19bn. He died in a federal prison in North Carolina while serving a 150-year sentence.

前金融顾问伯尼·麦道夫(Bernie Madoff)去世，享年82岁。他是世界上最大的庞氏骗局的策划者，骗走了投资者190亿美元。他被判处150年刑期，在北卡罗来纳州的联邦监狱服刑期间去世。

After a long and bitter battle, Suez and Veolia, two French water companies, agreed to merge. For months Suez’s board resisted the tie-up. But a higher bid that values Suez at 13bn euros ($15bn) helped secure the deal. The transaction will create a giant in the water industry with revenues of 37bn euros. Both companies’ share prices rose by nearly 10%.

经过漫长而艰苦的斗争，两家法国水务公司苏伊士和威立雅同意合并。苏伊士集团董事会几个月来一直抵制这次合并。不过，在对收购苏伊士集团的报价提高至130亿欧元(合150亿美元)后才最终敲定了这笔交易。这笔交易将缔造一家销售额为370亿欧元的水务行业巨头。两家公司的股价都上涨了近10%。