VOA标准英语2015--Prospects Grow for Earlier Fed Rate Hike as US Adds Jobs

Prospects² Grow for Earlier Fed Rate Hike as US Adds Jobs

WASHINGTON—

A big pickup³ in job growth in May:  the U.S. economy adding 280,000 jobs last month. But the unemployment rate also ticked higher to 5.5 percent as more Americans polished up their resumes to look for work.

While the better-than-expected job numbers bode⁴ well for the more than 8 million Americans still looking for work, it also paves the way for an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve - sooner rather than later.

Job gains last month beat expectations by more than 50,000. And aside from losses in the energy sector⁵ – gains were across the board, said PNC Financial Services senior economist⁶ Gus Faucher on Skype.

“We had strong growth in retail⁷ trade and leisure, hospitality services, education and health care, business and professional services, construction, and then we also saw a pick-up in job growth in manufacturing,” said Faucher.

The pick-up in manufacturing is notable, given the recent weakness in exports – a byproduct of a stronger dollar which has made American-made goods more expensive abroad. The other notable development is a steady improvement in wages.

Ethan Harris, head of global economic research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said, “Normally workers start to get a little bit of bargaining power as they get a fully⁸ healthy job market. That’s been delayed because the recovery was so slow.  But now we’re finally there.  We’re finally seeing workers. We’re on the cusp.”

But a healthy labor⁹ market also puts the prospect¹ of an interest rate hike this year back on the table. Some economists¹⁰ had urged the central bank to delay raising rates until next year after government reports showed the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter.

Solid job growth in May could prompt the Fed to act sooner, said Bankrate.com Washington bureau chief Mark Hamrick.

“Our own Bankrate quarterly economic survey finds that the vast majority of our panel members believe that the Fed will be raising interest rates in September,” he said.

Members of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee could signal their intentions after the board’s next meeting later this month.

Faucher said Federal Reserve officials may now have the confidence to raise interest rates as early as September, though they will probably increase them slowly. He also said the tightening¹¹ labor market is boosting wages, while falling energy costs are keeping money in consumer’s pocket books. Together, these things could increase the consumer spending that drives most U.S. economic activity.

1 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

2 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

3 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

4 bode   

v.预示

参考例句：

• These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
• His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 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》

11 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。