2019年经济学人 一周要闻 美联储前主席沃尔克去世 PG&E就加州野火达成和解

 

Problems at an oilfield off the coast of Ghana were one factor that caused Tullow Oil to drastically reduce its production forecasts for the next few years. Its share price tanked by 70%, one of the worst falls on the FTSE 250 this decade.

加纳沿海油田出现的问题，是导致图洛石油公司大幅降低未来几年产量预测的一个因素。它的股价下跌了70%，是这十年来富时250指数最严重的下跌之一。

Pacific Gas & Electric reached a $13.5bn settlement with the victims of wildfires that were sparked by its faulty equipment. That brings the total charges incurred¹ by California’s biggest utility to $25.5bn. The settlement with victims could hasten PG&E’s exit from bankruptcy² protection, though the deal must first be signed off by California’s governor.

美国太平洋天然气和电力公司(Pacific Gas & Electric)与因设备故障导致野火的受害者达成了135亿美元的和解协议。这使得这家加州最大公用事业公司的总费用达到255亿美元。与受害者的和解可能会加速PG&E退出破产保护，尽管该协议必须首先得到加州州长的批准。

German industrial production fell by 1.7% in October compared with September, renewing concerns that the dip in German manufacturing may be deeper than had been thought. Compared with October 2018 output was down by 5.3%, the biggest drop by that measure in a decade.

德国10月份的工业生产较9月份下降了1.7%，这再次引发了人们对德国制造业的下滑幅度可能比预期更大的担忧。与2018年10月相比，产量下降了5.3%，是十年来的最大降幅。

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate on hold, and suggested it would stay on hold throughout next year. The central bank cut the rate three times this year, but now believes the risks to the economy have moderated.

美联储(Federal Reserve)维持基准利率不变，并暗示将在明年全年保持不变。美联储今年曾三次降息，但现在认为经济风险已经减弱。

Brazil’s central bank lowered its main interest rate for a fourth consecutive³ time, to a record low of 4.5%. That may spur a further decline in the real, which could be an issue for Donald Trump⁴; he has accused Brazil of manipulating its currency to favour exports.

巴西央行连续第四次下调主要利率，降至4.5%的历史最低水平。这可能会刺激雷亚尔进一步贬值，这可能成为特朗普(Donald Trump)面临的一个问题;他指责巴西操纵汇率以利于出口。

Tributes were paid to Paul Volcker, who died at the age of 92. Mr Volcker influenced monetary⁵ policy for decades, waging a war on inflation as chairman of the Federal Reserve. He also proposed what became known as the “Volcker rule”, which bankers hate because it limits their trading. Asked how bad America’s economy was when he took charge at the Fed in 1979, Mr Volcker replied, “by Latin American standards, it wasn’t so bad”.

人们哀悼逝世的保罗·沃尔克，享年92岁。沃尔克数十年来一直影响着货币政策，作为美联储主席，他发动了一场对抗通胀的战争。他还提出了后来被称为“沃尔克规则”(Volcker rule)的方案，该方案招致银行家们的痛恨，因为其限制了他们的交易。他于1979年执掌美联储，当被问及美国经济有多糟糕时，沃尔克曾回答称:“以拉美国家的标准衡量，情况还不算太糟糕。”

JD Wetherspoon, a pub chain in Britain, announced that it is pumping 200m pounds ($264m) into its business over the next four years, creating 10,000 jobs. The ailing⁶ sector⁷ has been anything but stout⁸ over the past two decades, seeing around 12,000 pubs and bars close down.

英国连锁酒吧JD Wetherspoon宣布，将在未来四年投入2亿英镑(2.64亿美元)，创造1万个工作岗位。在过去的20年里，这个处境堪忧的行业一点也不景气，大约有1.2万家酒吧倒闭。

1 incurred   

[医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式

参考例句：

• She had incurred the wrath of her father by marrying without his consent 她未经父亲同意就结婚，使父亲震怒。
• We will reimburse any expenses incurred. 我们将付还所有相关费用。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

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 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

7 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。

8 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。