VOA标准英语2010年-German Ban on Risky Investments Rattle

German Chancellor¹ Angela Merkel reacts after she addresses the parliament in Berlin, 19 May 2010

Germany's decision this week to ban speculative² short selling of certain types of financial instruments has rattled³ financial markets around the world, further weakening the euro.  The 16-nation currency, which has been battered⁴ by continuing concerns about the European debt crisis, fell to a four-year low on Wednesday.  Although the euro bounced back slightly, analysts⁶ say comments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to justify⁷ the measure, only made matters worse. 

World stock prices fell on Wednesday after Germany approved new regulations to limit speculative selling of euro-dominated government bonds.

Analyst⁵ Robert Halver of Germany's Baaderbank says the move caught many investors⁹ off guard. "For the markets right now, it is a shock because everybody is waiting to see what can come next because such a shocking effect, to do it overnight, is not good for a market which is keen on transparency," he said.

The ban applies to a type of transaction known as "naked short-selling."  In regular short-selling, traders borrow assets and sell them at a set price, hoping they can make a profit by buying them later at a lower price.  In naked short-selling, the bets are made on assets that are neither borrowed nor owned by the investor⁸.

Investment strategist Dariusz Kowalczyk of CFC Seymour, Ltd. in Hong Kong. "In particular, speculators cannot sell them if they do not own them.  And as a result, stock markets in the U.S. fell sharply because investors are afraid that there is more regulatory risk in the financial system.  And whenever there is more risk, equity¹⁰ markets decline," he said.

Some economists¹¹ blame speculative transactions such as "naked short selling" for plunging¹² the world economy into a financial crisis.  Similar investments against the euro are also blamed for pushing the European currency to its lowest level in four years.

In a speech before the German parliament, Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the new regulations on what she called "destructive" behavior by financial markets.  "If the euro fails, then Europe fails.  But if we are able to anticipate this danger, then the euro and Europe will be stronger than before," he said.

Analysts say the new regulations, aimed at maintaining financial stability in Europe, helped push the value of the euro to $1.21 before rebounding¹³ slightly.  The euro has fallen more than 11 cents this month.
 

1 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

2 speculative   

adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的

参考例句：

• Much of our information is speculative.我们的许多信息是带推测性的。
• The report is highly speculative and should be ignored.那个报道推测的成分很大，不应理会。

3 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

4 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 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。

7 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

8 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

11 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 rebounding   

蹦跳运动

参考例句：

• The strength of negative temperature concrete is tested with supersonic-rebounding method. 本文将超声回弹综合法用于负温混凝土强度检测。
• The fundamental of basketball includes shooting, passing and catching, rebounding, etc. 篮球运动中最基本的东西包括投篮，传接球，篮板球等。