Fitch: US Still AAA

 　　The Fitch rating agency is keeping its top-level credit rating on the United States. Fitch says it kept the AAA credit rating in place because the U.S. economy is flexible, diversified¹, and wealthy, which helps the nation adjust to marketplace shocks.

　　The rating decision by Fitch follows an August 5 downgrade of U.S. debt by rival Standard & Poor's that sparked a sharp drop in global stock markets.

　　In the meantime, a series of reports paint a mixed picture of the U.S. economy. Tuesday's data from the Commerce Department says the number of housing starts dropped 1.5 percent in July. If construction continued at the same pace for a full year, just 604,000 homes would be built. Experts say that is far below the level seen in a healthy housing market.

　　A separate report showed industrial production rose in July as carmakers started to recover from the supply disruptions caused by Japan's natural disasters. The U.S. central bank says production at factories, mines and utilities gained nine-tenths of a percent in July, which is a bigger gain than the previous month.

　　Still another report showed that the costs of goods imported to the United States rose three-tenths of a percent in July, in part due to increasing oil costs.

　　And U.S.-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer², has not yet been able to boost sales in its home market. But Wal-Mart's international sales helped the store's overall profits grow by 5.7 percent in April, May, and June.

1 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。