VOA标准英语2008年-Asian Stocks Plunge After Shakeup of US Financi

Stock markets across Asia followed U.S. and European shares sharply lower, in reaction to the collapse¹ of the investment company Lehman Brothers. The markets in Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong - which were closed Monday for a holiday - led the selling. VOA's Kate Pound Dawson in Bangkok has more.

Central bankers and national leaders around Asia rushed to assure the public that their economies were sound and that there was plenty of cash available to keep their financial systems flowing. Even so, investors² continue to sell shares.

In much of the region, financial companies examined their balance sheets for any exposure to the American investment bank Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy³ Monday. There also are fears of massive losses at other international financial companies, such as the insurance giant AIG.

The Bank of Japan released $24 billion into the banking⁴ system, to make it easier for financial companies to borrow the cash they need.

Jake van der Kamp is an independent market analyst⁵ in Hong Kong. He says the crisis is the worst in decades and could be prolonged.

"Global markets haven't seen anything like this in such a long, long time that it's hard to but any figure on it at all," he said. "I would say you've got a matter of months before you start to build a bottom yet [before markets stop falling]."

The crisis began nearly 18 months ago in the United States, as many people who had taken out so-called "sub-prime" mortgages - home loans made to weak borrowers - struggled to pay their debts. Billions of dollars worth of those mortgages had been packaged into complex securities that the world's banks, insurance companies and investment funds had bought. As the securities started to fall in value, investors around the world sold out of bond and stock markets.

Van der Kamp says Asia has a few advantages over other markets. He says, Asian financial markets usually recover faster than do the older, more established markets of Europe and the United States.

Another advantage is that Asia's overall exposure to the sub-prime crisis is moderate and well secured.

"Because the Asian exposure would largely be Asian central banks, which have massive reserves, starting obviously with China and Japan, but all the rest, relative to the size of the economies, massive reserves, heavily in U.S. dollars," he said. "There's probably not all that much direct danger."
　
A woman walks past a display showing stock prices in Hong Kong, 16 Sep 2008

Still, investors around the region on Tuesday counted up the toll⁶ from Wall Street's woes⁷.

Japan's Nikkei stock index sank almost five percent, to its lowest point in more than three years. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slumped⁸ nearly 5.5 percent and Seoul's Kospi lost slightly more than six percent. Both markets were at their lowest points since early 2007.

Other markets also were rattled⁹, with oil prices slumping¹⁰ more than $3 to just above $92 a barrel in Asian trading, as fears grew of a severe global recession. That is its lowest level since February.

 

1 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。

2 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

3 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。

4 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。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

8 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

9 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

10 slumping   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Hong Kong's slumping economy also caused a rise in bankruptcy applications. 香港经济低迷，破产申请个案随之上升。
• And as with slumping, over-arching can also be a simple postural habit. 就像弯腰驼背，过度挺直也可能只是一种习惯性姿势。