VOA标准英语10月-Arab Stock Markets Plunge Amid World Financial Tu

Stock markets in the Arabian Gulf¹ and across much of the Arab world are in a swoon after Asian markets plunged² following Wall Street losses Friday. Many large Gulf investors⁴ have money invested in U.S. equities⁵ and real estate but the steep recent drop in oil prices is affecting their revenues and causing market instability, as Edward Yeranian reports from Beirut.
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Kuwaiti traders follow the market's movement at the Stock Exchange in Kuwait City, 05 Oct 2008

Investors and brokers⁶ wore worried looks as the morning progressed and the main Gulf stock exchanges lost billions of dollars. The Saudi stock exchange lost 10-percent at the opening bell and remained nine-percent lower for most of the session.

Exchanges in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were about five-percent lower, after losing almost 7 percent Sunday.

Al Arabiya TV reported that much of the slide was due to a collapse in the real estate and property development sectors⁸ which have seen tremendous growth in the United Arab Emirates in recent years.

Few Arab stock markets were unscathed, with Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar all losing at least four percent. Most Arab and Gulf markets appeared to take their cue from Asia after Tokyo and Shanghai lost around five-percent.

Brokers in the Gulf suggested investors began panicking after the price of oil, which plays a large part in Gulf economies, fell below 90-dollars a barrel in early trading.

In neighboring Jordan, parliament member Mohammed Zareeqat told a financial website that his home town of Jarash had become a "disaster area" due to stock market losses. "Ninety-percent of our citizens have been hit by the slide," he said.

The relatively⁹ small Beirut stock exchange lost just over five-percent although traders insisted that Lebanon is usually an "economic oasis¹⁰" in times of international turmoil¹¹. The Egyptian exchange bucked¹² the trend and climbed slightly.

The Beirut Daily Star newspaper's business editor, Osama Habib, insisted he is "optimistic in the short to medium term" and that Gulf and Arab exchanges should stabilize¹³ after a few days of turbulence¹⁴ provoked by world events.

"But, as I said, it is natural, you know, it is a global village, now. You cannot say that I will not be hit by the other. They will be affected¹⁵. But the economies in the G.C.C. are still strong. You have the oil as the main source of revenue. Another factor, which may have affected the stock exchanges is the falling oil prices. Today, the barrel of oil is below 90-dollars," he said.

Habib was less optimistic for the long term, especially if the U.S. program to buy "toxic¹⁶ assets" from troubled banks fails to stop a global slide into recession.

"If this financial crisis turns into recession, for example, a global recession, it may in the long run affect the G.C.C. stock exchanges if the crisis continues," he added. "Now, if the U.S. measures to check the crisis ... if it did not succeed, there will be some concern, of course."

One veteran Gulf investor³ told CNBC's Arabic language business channel that a "global panic" was hitting all international markets. "It is difficult to say when a panic will stop," he concluded.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

3 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

4 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

5 equities   

普通股，股票

参考例句：

• These are invested mainly in the OECD bonds and equities. 这些资产主要投资于经济合作及发展组织的债券与股票市场。
• They are also advantage of the global rebound in equities. 它们还在利用全球股市反弹的机会。

6 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

7 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

8 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

11 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

12 bucked   

adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• When he tried to ride the horse, it bucked wildly. 当他试图骑上这匹马时，它突然狂暴地跃了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The plane bucked a strong head wind. 飞机顶着强烈的逆风飞行。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

14 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

15 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

16 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。