評論
打印
Business this week
本周政治要聞
Alibaba took its IPO to investors in a roadshow, having priced the offering at between 60 and 66 a share. This could value the Chinese e-commerce firm at around 160 billion when it lists in New York, which is close to Amazon's current market valuation. With reports that its order book is already full, Alibaba is likely to raise 20 billion or more on its stockmarket debut, and possibly be the most lucrative IPO ever.
阿里巴巴借路演助力IPO，定價區間為60到66美元。照此算來，這家中國電子商務企業在紐交所市值約為1600億美元，直逼亞馬遜。有報道稱由于需求強勁，阿里巴巴的初次亮相即有可能籌集200億美元以上，也因此成為史上最能吸金的一次IPO。
Rocket Internet, a firm in Berlin that specialises in backing e-commerce startups, announced that it would float on the Frankfurt exchange by the end of the year. It hopes to raise 750m (970m), which would make its IPO Germany's biggest this year.
德國科技孵化器Rocket Internet宣稱將在年底于法蘭克福證交所進行IPO，希望借此籌資7.5億歐元，如果順利這將是德國企業今年最大規模的IPO。
Europe's stockmarkets reacted positively to the European Central Bank's decision to cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.05% and adjust its rate on bank deposits to -0.2%. It is also to start a programme of buying asset-backed securities. With the ECB loosening monetary policy and the Federal Reserve moving in the opposite direction towards a rate rise, the dollar continued to strengthen, reaching a 14-month high against the euro.
歐洲央行決定下調基準利率至0.05%，并將銀行存款利率調整為-0.2%。歐洲股票市場對此反應積極。歐州央行同時啟動購買資產支持證券的項目。由于歐州央行推行寬松的貨幣政策，而美聯儲則背道而馳，合力之下美元持續走高，與歐元的匯率達到14個月以來的峰值。
As expected Joaquin Almunia, the European Union's competition regulator, asked Google to offer new concessions in an antitrust settlement that had been reached in February about its search business in Europe. Mr Almunia said that the reaction from Google's competitors had been “very, very negative”. He is leaving the job in November and will be replaced by Denmark's Margrethe Vestager.
谷歌曾因其在歐洲的搜索業務涉訟，今年二月此事以和解告一段落。然而不出所料的是，歐盟競爭專員華金·阿爾穆尼亞要求谷歌再讓一步，因為谷歌的競爭對手反應“非常非常消極”。阿爾穆尼亞先生將于11月離職，繼任者是丹麥的瑪格麗特·維斯塔格。
BP's share price recovered somewhat from its hammering on September 4th, when a judge issued a long-awaited ruling and found it grossly negligent for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, which leaves it exposed to fines of up to 18 billion. Halliburton and Transocean, which were also involved in the Deepwater Horizon project, were found to be negligent, but not grossly so.
英國石油股價自9月4日猛跌，日前稍有回升。彼時法官在延宕數年后，就2010年墨西哥灣漏油事件做出裁決，認定該公司存在重大過失，從而使其面臨180億美元的罰款。Halliburton與Transocean二公司同樣涉嫌深水地平線項目，不過法官認定它們僅存在一般過失。
Jack Lew, America's Treasury secretary, once again urged Congress to pass legislation to stop tax inversion takeovers, warning that the relocation of American corporate profits to lower-taxed countries threatened the progress made on reducing the budget deficit. Mr. Lew wants a broad reform of business taxes, which he acknowledges are “distorted”.
美國財政部長杰克·盧再一次敦促國會立法，叫停稅務反轉收購。他警告說，這種將美國公司利潤轉置于低稅收國家的行為，有損政府縮減赤字的努力。盧先生意欲推行全面的營業稅改革，他認為現有機制是“扭曲的”。
Amid the usual hoopla Apple launched the iPhone 6 and its first smartwatch, simply called the Apple Watch. The premium version of the iPhone 6 has a bigger 14cm screen, a nod to the growing “phablet” market. Apple's latest devices can also be used to make “contactless” payments in shops. It was Apple's biggest product launch since the iPad, though wireless payments and smartwatches are not new and have so far failed to grip the imagination of consumers.
蘋果的產品發布會一如既往的熱鬧。本次的新產品包括iPhone 6和蘋果旗下首款智能手表。iPhone 6高配版本擁有更大的屏幕，這是對“平板手機”市場不斷增長的認同。蘋果的最新設備還能實現“遙控”支付。本次產品發布會是自iPad以來規模最大的一次，遺憾的是，無線支付與智能手表均非蘋果首創，并且到目前為止，未能……
A sporty runaround
直白的敷衍
Fiat-Chrysler announced that Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is to step down as chairman of its Ferrari division after 23 years in the job. He had repeatedly clashed over strategy with Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's boss, who wants to integrate Ferrari's technology with Fiat's premium cars as competition with rivals moves up a gear. Mr Montezemolo will depart on October 13th, the same day that Fiat-Chrysler lists in New York.
菲亞特-克萊斯勒宣布，在擔任法拉利主席長達23年之后，盧卡·克勞德洛·迪·蒙特澤莫羅將辭去這一職務。由于競爭日趨激勵，菲亞特CEO塞爾吉奧·馬爾喬內常欲整合法拉利技術與菲亞特之豪華轎車，蒙特澤莫羅先生卻總有不同意見。后者離職的日子定在10月13日，這也是菲亞特-克萊斯勒在紐約上市的同一天。
Carlos Slim added to the recent flurry of activity in Brazil's telecoms industry when his América Móvil confirmed it was in talks to join a venture to buy TIM Participacoes. TIM is owned by Telecom Italia, which insists the business is core to its strategy. The Italian firm was rebuffed last month in its bid to buy GVT, another Brazilian phone company.
巴西電信產業近來頗為忙亂，卡洛斯·斯利姆又添了把柴：他旗下的美洲電信確認，后者正就收購TIM Participacoes一事展開談判。TIM的擁有者是意大利電信集團，后者堅持該公司業務是其核心戰略。此外不幸的是，意大利電信曾試圖收購另一家巴西電話公司GVT，但其報價被斷然拒絕。
General Electric sold its electrical-appliances business, which has supplied affordable washing machines and fridges to many American homes for decades, to Electrolux of Sweden for 3.3 billion. This is part of the conglomerate's strategy under Jeff Immelt to sell off its less profitable or unwieldy ventures in order to focus on engineering and aerospace.
通用電氣長期以來向許多美國家庭提供著經濟實惠的洗衣機和冰箱，現在它將家電業務售于瑞典的伊萊克斯。這是杰夫·伊梅爾特的集團戰略之一，即剝離利潤較薄和風險較高的業務，從而專注于重型電機和航空發動機。
Mathew Martoma, a former analyst at SAC Capital, was given a nine-year sentence for insider trading, one of the longest prison terms handed down to date for the crime. The hedge fund, which is run by Steven Cohen, has already pleaded guilty in the case, in which it traded shares in two drugs companies conducting experimental work on a cure for Alzheimer's after receiving tip-offs.
曾擔任SAC Capital基金經理的馬修·馬爾托瑪因內幕交易獲刑九年，這是迄今為止依此罪名判處的最高刑期。史蒂夫·科恩旗下的對沖基金已作出有罪答辯，承認在知曉內幕信息后，交易了兩家藥企的股票。這兩家藥企均在開發治療阿茲海默癥的新藥。
Flying sardine cans
飛翔的沙丁罐頭
Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, ordered 100 of Boeing's new 737 MAX aircraft, with an option to buy 100 more, as it forecast that it would carry 150m passengers in 2024, almost double the number today. The airline also persuaded Boeing to squeeze in eight extra seats, which it describes as “slimline”.
歐洲最大的廉價航空公司的瑞安航空預測到2024年，其年均載客量將達到一億五千萬人。基于這一信息，瑞安航空它已向波音公司訂購了100架737 MAX，并計劃在未來追加100架。它還說服波音在飛機上增加了80個座位，并稱之為“做細一些”。
