2019年经济学人 一周要闻 人民币跌破7元关口 中美贸易摩擦升级 人民币贬值股市动荡

 

The world this week

本周要闻

Business

商业

America officially categorised China as a currency manipulator for the first time in 25 years, after the yuan weakened past the psychologically significant mark of seven to the dollar, the lowest point for the Chinese currency since the financial crisis. The yuan trades narrowly in China around an exchange rate set by the central bank. It dismissed the idea that the yuan had been manipulated, submitting that its depreciation¹ was caused instead by “shifts in market dynamics”, which include “escalating trade frictions²”.

在人民币兑美元汇率跌破1美元兑7元的心理关口(金融危机以来人民币汇率的最低点)后，美国25年来首次正式将中国列为汇率操纵国。在中国，人民币汇率在央行设定的汇率范围内波动很小。这一点驳斥了人民币被操纵的说法，认为人民币贬值是由“市场动态变化”引起的，其中包括“不断升级的贸易摩擦”。

Those trade frictions had indeed escalated³ when Donald Trump⁴ earlier announced 10% tariffs⁵ on an additional $300bn-worth of Chinese goods in the two countries’ trade war. Mr Trump said he was punishing China for not keeping its promise to buy more American agricultural goods, among other things.

当特朗普早些时候宣布对两国贸易战中价值3000亿美元的中国商品加征10%的关税时，这些贸易摩擦确实升级了。特朗普表示，此举意在惩罚中方没有履行购买更多美国农产品等承诺。

Stockmarkets had a rocky week, with the s&p 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and nasdaq indices recording⁶ their worst trading day of the year so far. Most Asian currencies tumbled following the yuan’s depreciation. But the yen⁷, considered to be a haven⁸ in uncertain times, soared against the dollar. The yields on government bonds, another safe bet, fell as investors⁹ ploughed into the market.

股市经历了动荡的一周，标准普尔500指数、道琼斯工业平均指数和纳斯达克指数创下今年以来的最大单日跌幅。人民币贬值后，大多数亚洲货币大幅下跌。但在不确定时期被视为避风港的日元兑美元汇率飙升。另一个安全的赌注——政府债券的收益率随着投资者涌入市场而下跌。

Investors were also unnerved by a wave of larger-than-expected interest-rate cuts. India’s central bank shaved 0.35 of a percentage point off its main rate, to 5.4%; New Zealand’s slashed¹⁰ its benchmark rate from 1.5% to 1%; and Thailand’s first cut in four years left its main rate at 1.5%. All three were pessimistic about the prospects¹¹ for growth.

投资者也对一波高于预期的降息深感不安。印度央行将其主要利率下调0.35个百分点，至5.4%;新西兰将基准利率从1.5%下调至1%;泰国四年来首次降息，主要利率维持在1.5%。这三个国家都对经济增长前景感到悲观。

A trade dispute caused sales of cars made in Japan to plunge¹² in South Korea last month. Samsung, South Korea’s biggest maker¹³ of smartphones and memory chips, said it was searching for substitute suppliers of some essential chemicals that Japan has tightened¹⁴ its grip on, which South Korea calls an embargo¹⁵. This week Japan approved its first shipment of high-tech¹⁶ material to South Korea in a month. The row was sparked by a political spat¹⁷.

上个月，一场贸易争端导致日本制造的汽车在韩国的销量暴跌。韩国最大的智能手机和存储芯片制造商三星表示，正在寻找一些替代供应商，以供应日本加强控制的一些基本化学品。韩国方面称，日本对这些化学品实施了禁运。本周，日本批准了一个月来首次向韩国出口高科技材料。这场争端是由一场政治口水战引起的。

The EU selected Kristalina Georgieva as its candidate to head the IMF, but only after the rancorous exercise concluded with some telephone diplomacy¹⁸. Ms Georgieva is currently the second-highest official at the World Bank. Under an informal convention, Europe gets to pick the managing director of the IMF (and America the president of the World Bank), so Ms Georgieva is favoured to get the job in October, when the IMF will choose its leader. But it must first change a rule that says a new managing director must be under 65. Ms Georgieva turns 66 on August 13th.

欧盟提名克里斯塔琳娜·乔治耶娃为国际货币基金组织（IMF）总裁候选人，但这一针锋相对的行动是通过电话外交手段结束的。乔治耶娃目前是世界银行排名第二的高级官员。根据一项非正式的会议，欧洲将遴选出IMF的总裁(世界银行行长一直由美国人担任)，因此乔治耶娃很有可能在10月份得到这个职位，届时IMF将选出其领导人。但前提是必须改变一项规定——即新董事总经理必须在65岁以下。乔治亚娃将于8月13日迎来66岁生日。

1 depreciation   

n.价值低落，贬值，蔑视，贬低

参考例句：

• She can't bear the depreciation of the enemy.她受不了敌人的蹂躏。
• They wrote off 500 for depreciation of machinery.他们注销了500镑作为机器折旧费。

2 frictions   

n.摩擦( friction的名词复数 )；摩擦力；冲突；不和

参考例句：

• Family frictions can interfere with a child's schoolwork. 家庭中的争吵会影响孩子的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As far as we are concerned, these frictions are not of our own making [have been imposed on us]. 就我们来说，这种摩擦是被动式的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

4 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

5 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

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 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 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。

12 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

13 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

14 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

15 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

16 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

17 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

18 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。