商业报道:Goldman Sachs Profits Nudge US Stocks Higher

Analysts¹ predicted that Goldman Sachs would post earnings² of more than $2 billion in the second quarter. Instead, the U.S. investment firm reported a profit of $3.4 billion.

Although the impressive results drew cheers from investors³, a government report showing a nearly 2 percent jump in the producer price index, which measures the average change in price for domestic goods, tempered enthusiasm on Wall Street.

Financial historian and author Charles Geisst says big profits for a firm that took in $10 billion in government bailout funds last year might upset taxpayers⁵. "No one likes obscene profits in markets like this. But on the other hand, Americans do like money," Geisst said. "And they admire firms that will take a risk in order to reap this sort of profit."

The investment firm is among the first to pay back its government loans. It also managed to set aside more than $6 billion for employee bonuses.

Geisst says Goldman Sachs succeeded by making profits the old fashioned way - by taking risks and buying and selling volatile⁶ commodities like oil. "The taxpayer⁴ looks at this and thinks, 'We are getting back to normal,' which is not the case right now; it's a matter of risk taking," he explains. "Extreme risk produces extreme profit and vice⁷ versa. But this gives a consumer some heart at the same time."

U.S. Treasury⁸ Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned that a full economic recovery will take time. But on Tuesday, he told Arab business leaders in Dubai that the global recession is showing signs of easing.

"The rate of decline in economic activity has slowed, business and consumer confidence has started to improve, the housing markets are showing some signs of stability, the cost of borrowing, the cost of credit, has fallen significantly," Geithner states.

Despite an improving economic forecast, many large banks, including Citigroup and Bank of America, are still struggling.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama sounded a note of caution, saying that unemployment will likely continue to rise before the job market improves. Last month's jobs report showed that nearly one in ten American workers are unemployed⁹.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 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%。

3 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

4 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

6 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

7 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。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。