经济学人:一周商业要闻6

 　　Business this week 一周商业要闻

　　India was plunged¹ into financial turmoil². 印度陷入金融危机。

　　Markets swooned in response to the government's imposition of capital controls on domestic investors³ to stop cash flowing out of the country in order to halt the decline of the rupee. 印度政府为了抑制卢比贬值，对国内投资者实行了强制资本管制，以防止现金外流导致市场混乱。

　　Investors fret⁴ that India's large current account deficit⁵ makes it particularly exposed to capital flight out of emerging markets prompted by the Federal Reserve's plan to taper⁷ quantitative⁸ easing. 受美联储缩减量化宽松规模的影响，印度大量的经常账户赤字使该国大量资本流出。

　　As share prices in Indian banks fell and Indian bond yields rose, the central bank promised to intervene to boost liquidity⁹. 由于印度银行业股价下跌，国债收益增加，印度央行承诺将进行市场干预以增加流动性。

　　However, the rupee fell to a new low against the dollar after the minutes from the Fed's latest meeting confirmed it was on track to ease bond buying this year. 然而，美联储召开最新一次会议，确认将缩减本年度购买债券规模。消息披露数分钟后，卢比兑美元汇率跌至历史新低点。

　　Currencies in other emerging markets also came under pressure. 其他新兴市场里的货币也面临压力。

　　In a surprise move Turkey's central bank raised interest rates to support the lira. 土耳其央行采取了令人吃惊的举措——提高利率，以此支持里拉汇率。

　　The Brazilian real sank to its lowest level against the dollar in four years. 巴西货币雷亚尔兑美元的汇率跌至四年来的最低点。

　　The Securities and Exchange Commission fined Philip Falcone and Harbinger, the hedge fund he runs, $18m for his misuse¹⁰ of clients ' cash to pay a tax bill. 美国证券交易委员会（SEC）给菲利普·法尔康和他经营的对冲基金公司Harbinger开出了高达1800万美元的罚单，原因是他挪用客户的现金去支付税单。

　　More importantly, Mr Falcone had to admit to wrongdoing, the first such admission under the SEC's policy of reducing the number of deals it cuts with defendants¹¹ in which they neither admit nor deny guilt¹². 更重要的是，法尔康不得不承认违约行为，这也是证交会出台减少与被告交易的政策以来第一个承认不法行为的被告；此前，被告总是不承认其不法行为或者不认罪。

　　Two electronic trading mishaps¹³ further undermined confidence in automated¹⁴ markets. 两笔电子交易的失误进一步打击了人们对自动交易市场的信心。

　　A sudden spike¹⁵ in the Shanghai stockmarket was caused by a computer glitch¹⁶ at Everbright Securities. 日前，上海股票交易所股指骤升，起因是光大证券的电脑系统出现了小故障。

　　Chinese regulators banned the broker¹⁷ from proprietary¹⁸ trading for three months as a result. 为此，中国证监会决定在3个月内，禁止光大证券进行自营交易业务。

　　And a software error at Goldman Sachs saw it place enough mistaken orders for stock options on American exchanges to drive prices lower. 此外，由于高盛投资公司的一个软件故障，美国股市出现了大量订购股票期权的错误订单，导致股价下跌。

　　The blunder could potentially cost the bank hundreds of millions of dollars. 这个错误可能会给银行造成数亿美元的损失。

　　BHP Billiton's net profit for the year to June fell by 30%, to $10.9 billion. 截止今年六月，必和必拓公司净利润下降30%，仅为109亿美元。

　　The mining company is to invest heavily in potash, an ingredient used in fertiliser and for which there is a burgeoning¹⁹ demand worldwide. 由于全球对化肥原料碳酸钾的需求急速上升，这家矿业公司打算斥巨资投资碳酸钾。

　　This should offset²⁰ some of its decline in prices for iron ore and copper²¹, as the Chinese led commodities boom cools. 随着中国掀起的大宗商品交易的热潮的降温，必和必拓公司投资碳酸钾的举措将会弥补由于铁矿石和铜矿价格下跌而遭受的损失。

　　Glencore Xstrata reported its first earnings²² since merging⁶ as a new company in May, and announced a $7.7 billion write down of its mining assets. 近日，今年5月刚完成合并的嘉能可斯特拉塔公司报告了其首份收入报告。这份报告显示，自并购以来，其矿业资产已经减记了77亿美元。

　　Vestas, a Danish maker²³ of wind turbines, replaced its chief executive, after its quarterly earnings revealed steeper losses. 丹麦风电巨头维斯塔斯在本季度收益进一步下滑后，更换了其首席执行官。

　　Once a leader in the industry, Vestas's windpower business has been buffeted²⁴ by competition from China; it also gets less from European subsidies²⁵ for green energy. 受到不断来自中国市场竞争冲击和欧洲对清洁能源的补贴的缩减压力，当年的巨头风光不再。

　　Anders Runevad, who used to work at Ericsson, a Swedish telecoms firm, is the new boss. 曾在瑞典电信企业爱立信工作的安德斯·伦沃德成为其新任首席。

　　Carlsberg and Heineken saw profits slip in their latest set of earnings, partly because the cooler than-usual European spring watered down the demand for beer. 嘉士伯和喜力最近收益下滑，部分原因是由于欧洲天气较往年偏低，使啤酒的需求减少。

　　Carlsberg said the closure of outdoor beer kiosks in Russia in an effort to curb²⁶ public drunkenness had also hurt it. 嘉士伯公司分析说，俄罗斯为了抑制在公共场所喝酒行为关闭了各种户外啤酒亭，这也是销量减少的原因。

　　Both companies pointed²⁷ to Asia as a bright spot. 现在两家公司都把亚洲作为翻盘之地。

　　The Bank of Israel issued new rules to banks on mortgages, including a requirement that monthly repayments²⁸ be no more than half of a borrower's household income. 以色列央行对于银行抵押贷款颁布了新规定，包括月还贷额不能高于家庭总收入的一半的要求。

　　Lending has surged over the years, though the economy is slowing and unemployment rising. 经济增势缓慢和失业率的增高并没有给贷款热降温。

　　Meg Whitman's turnaround plan for Hewlett Packard hit a bump in the road, when she said she now no longer expects to see a return to revenue growth next year after almost all its divisions recorded a drop in quarterly sales. 惠普的复兴之路可谓是崎岖不平。本季度几乎所有部门销售量都有下滑之后，梅格·惠特曼说她不再对明年收益增长抱有期望。

　　HP's big push into computer servers has so far failed to offset the decline of its PC business. 虽然在服务器方面取得一定的成绩，但对于想以此缓解陷入个人电脑销售困境的惠普来说无异于杯水车薪。

　　A judge refused Carl Icahn's request to speed up his lawsuit²⁹ to stop the proposed buy out of Dell, the latest setback³⁰ to the activist³¹ investor's alternative takeover proposal for the computer maker. 卡尔·伊坎为阻止戴尔按计划被收购提出了加速审理诉讼请求，而这一要求被法官驳回。这对于激进投资者卡尔·伊坎另外提出收购提议无疑是一个新的打击。

　　A postponed³² shareholders³³ ' vote is now due to take place on September 12th. 9月12号将召开延期的股东投票大会。

　　Dell, meanwhile, reported a 72% drop in quarterly net profit, after heavily discounting sales of its PCs and servers. 本季度，戴尔公司由于对个人电脑和终端服务器的打折销售，净利润降低了72%。

　　Al Jazeera began broadcasting on its new news channel in the United States, building on the network of's Al Gore³⁴ Current TV, which it bought in January. 半岛电视台已在美国开播了新的新闻频道。此频道原属于阿尔·戈尔创办的美国潮流有线电视台，于今年1月份被半岛电视台收购。

　　With bureaus in 12 American cities, the Qatari company promises to provide an alternative on cable to CNN, Fox and MSNBC. 卡塔尔半岛电视台已经在美国建立了12个分部，它承诺将为看惯了CNN,FOX和MSNBC的美国观众提供一个新的选择。

　　A judge approved Eastman Kodak's plan to restructure and leave bankruptcy³⁵ protection, which it filed for in January last year. 法院通过了伊士曼柯达公司重建计划和脱离2012年1月提交的破产保护的申请。

　　The company has shed its photography business( and $4.1 billion in debt) to focus on commercial printing technologies. 此前，柯达为专注于商业成像领域出售了负债41亿的照相机业务。柯达放弃负债41美元的摄影业务，以专注于商业印刷技术。

　　It designed the world's first working digital camera in 1975, only to discard the project and stick to film. 1975年，柯达制造了世界上第一台数码相机，然而现在却转向数码影像业务。

1 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。

2 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。

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 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 merging   

合并（分类）

参考例句：

• Many companies continued to grow by merging with or buying competing firms. 许多公司通过合并或收买竞争对手的公司而不断扩大。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• To sequence by repeated splitting and merging. 用反复分开和合并的方法进行的排序。

7 taper   

n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小

参考例句：

• You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。
• Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

8 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

9 liquidity   

n.流动性，偿债能力，流动资产

参考例句：

• The bank has progressively increased its liquidity.银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
• The demand for and the supply of credit is closely linked to changes in liquidity.信用的供求和流动资金的变化有密切关系。

10 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

11 defendants   

被告( defendant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The courts heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession. 法官审判时发现6位被告人曾被迫承认罪行。
• As in courts, the defendants are represented by legal counsel. 与法院相同，被告有辩护律师作为代表。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

12 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

13 mishaps   

n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a series of mishaps 一连串的倒霉事
• In spite of one or two minor mishaps everything was going swimmingly. 尽管遇到了一两件小小的不幸，一切都进行得很顺利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

15 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

16 glitch   

n.干扰；误操作，小故障

参考例句：

• There is a glitch in the computer program somewhere.这个计算机程序中的某个部分有点小问题。
• It could just be a random glitch that can be solved by restarting the machine.可能只是一个小故障，重新启动主机就能解决了。

17 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

18 proprietary   

n.所有权，所有的；独占的；业主

参考例句：

• We had to take action to protect the proprietary technology.我们必须采取措施保护专利技术。
• Proprietary right is the foundation of jus rerem.所有权是物权法之根基。

19 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

20 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

21 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

22 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%。

23 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

24 buffeted   

反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去

参考例句：

• to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
• We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。

25 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

27 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

28 repayments   

偿还，报答，偿付的钱物( repayment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The repayments of the loan are spread over 10 years. 贷款可在十年内分期偿还。
• The repayments of the loan are spread over 25 years. 这笔贷款分摊二十五年偿还。

29 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

30 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

31 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

32 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

33 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

34 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

35 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。