2006年VOA标准英语-Stock Markets, Trade Push Asian Economies to Ne

By Claudia Blume
Hong Kong
18 December 2006

Asian economies, led by China and India, were among the most dynamic in the world during 2006. Many economies expanded by well over than six percent, and with new capital flowing into stock markets and exports climbing, many Asian stock markets hit record highs. However, economists² and financiers say 2007 will see a modest slowdown in growth and markets. Claudia Blume reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

2006 was a boom year for Asian nations, with the Asian Development Bank projecting 7.7 percent full-year growth for the region's developing countries.

 
Billboard promoting a real estate development in front of an old residential³ building in Beijing, 9 Dec 2006 
India and China together account for over 50 percent of the region's gross domestic product, and they led the boom. China's gross domestic product grew by more than 10 percent in 2006, and India expanded by more than eight percent.

Japan, the world's second largest economy, also gave the region a lift, with its longest period of recovery since falling into a slump⁴ more than a decade ago.

Masahiro Kawai, an economist¹ with the A.D.B. in Manila, says strong global demand for Asian exports fueled the growth.

He said, "Mainly because of the external market expansion on the part of the U.S. The U.S. growth rate has been high, [as it was in] Europe, [and] also Japan."

"External environments have been quite good, and domestic demand has also expanded -- you know investment, [and] consumption -- so generally speaking this ... has been a very good year," he continued.

Howard Gorges⁵, vice⁶ chairman of the South China Brokerage in Hong Kong, says the strong U.S. economy helped drive Asian stock markets to new heights. Several hit record levels.

 
Hang Seng Index (3 May 2006)
By mid-December, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was up about 25 percent from a year earlier, Mumbai's Sensex index had soared more than 40 percent and Jakarta's Composite Index had gained more than 50 percent. In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the most-watched stock index in the world, was up about 16 percent through mid-December.

China's stock markets, which went nowhere for years, boomed in 2006; the Shanghai composite index doubled in value. In large part, initial public share offerings by state-owned companies drove the market. One listing alone -- for China's biggest lender, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China -- raised a record $22 billion.

Howard Gorges says China has become very popular with foreign fund managers.

"It's the persistent⁷ high growth rates, the strength of their foreign-exchange reserves, the pressure on them to revalue their currency [that] has brought foreign money. And indeed, the currency has revalued about five to six percent in the last year or so, and people expect further gradual revaluation - so that's all helped," he said.

Even high oil prices did little to stop Asia's gains. Strong exports cushioned the effects of rising energy costs, and tighter monetary⁸ policy in most capitals helped stall inflation.

A decade ago, the region was beginning to feel the first rumblings of what would become the Asian economic crisis.

By mid-1997, that was in full force: plunging⁹ currency values, unsustainable levels of foreign debt and soaring interest rates sank most of Asia into a severe recession. Full recovery came only a few years ago.

The A.D.B.'s Kawai says in general, Asian economies are far more resilient than they were a decade ago.

He said, "Many Asian countries have accumulated foreign-exchange reserves, for example, and they have repaid external debt."

"They have been working on banking¹⁰ system restructuring, on banking system reform. They have been working on capital market development..... Regional financial cooperation has been strengthened and economic and financial vulnerabilities have been substantially reduced," he continued.

Many economists in Asia think the region is likely to see growth ease off slightly over the coming year, however, largely because an expected slowdown in the U.S. economy will cut demand for exports. Also, China's efforts to cool its economy are likely to trim regional growth.

The credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's expects corporate¹¹ earnings¹² growth to slow down in the new year, with central banks either tightening¹³ money supply or raising interest rates to prevent inflation.

This forecast means Asia's stock markets probably will not rise quite as much in 2007 as they did in 2006.

But as countries increasingly rely on trade within the region, growth across Asia will not slow very much. The A.D.B. forecasts average growth of seven-point-one percent for developing Asian economies in 2007.

However, bank economist Kawai warns the region cannot continue to rely on export growth, and needs to increase domestic demand.

He says China, in particular, needs to encourage households to spend more, to fuel growth. And China's corporations and government need to become more selective, and improve the quality of investments.

Other countries in Asia, Kawai says, need to continue making economic and regulatory reforms that will encourage domestic and foreign investment.

1 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。

2 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》

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

5 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

8 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。

9 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》

10 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

11 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

12 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

13 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。