評論
打印
The world this week
本周要聞
Business
商業
The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time this year, shaving off another quarter of a percentage point to a range of between 1.5% and 1.75%. Arguments have raged at the central bank about the need for further easing in America’s still robust economy. Many have read the runes of the carefully worded statement by Jerome Powell, the Fed’s chairman, that “policy is likely to remain appropriate”, to suggest that future reductions are on hold.
美國聯邦儲備委員會今年第三次下調基準利率，將利率再下調0.25個百分點，至1.5%至1.75%的區間。在美國仍然強勁的經濟中，關于進一步放松貨幣政策必要性的爭論已經在中央銀行引起了激烈的爭論。許多人已經看到了美聯儲主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾措辭謹慎的聲明——“政策可能仍將保持適當”，暗示未來將暫停降息。
Official figures showed that the American economy grew by 1.9% at an annualised rate in the third quarter. The data underlined the Fed ratesetters’ conundrum; consumer and government spending remained buoyant, though business investment was limp.
官方數據顯示，美國經濟第三季度年化增長率為1.9%。這些數據突顯了美聯儲利率制定者的難題；盡管商業投資疲軟，但消費者和政府支出依然強勁。
Groupe PSA, the maker of the Peugeot car brand, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles agreed to merge, creating the world’s fourth-largest car manufacturer. Carmakers are under increasing pressure to consolidate in an industry beset by rising costs and disruptive technologies. Earlier this year Fiat Chrysler tried to engineer a merger with Renault, but it hit a dead end when the French government, which owns 15% of Renault, withheld its support.
標志汽車品牌的制造商標致雪鐵龍集團和菲亞特克萊斯勒汽車公司同意合并，成為世界第四大汽車制造商。該行業受成本上升和顛覆性技術的困擾，汽車制造商面臨越來越大的整合壓力。今年早些時候，菲亞特克萊斯勒曾試圖與雷諾(Renault)合并，但由于持有雷諾15%股份的法國政府拒絕支持，這計劃就此陷入僵局。
The recent strike at General Motors is now thought to have cost the company $2.9bn. The 40-day strike was the longest at the carmaker since 1970.
據信，通用汽車最近的罷工已導致該公司損失29億美元。為期40天的罷工是自1970年以來這家汽車制造商罷工持續時間最長的一次。
In a week when it announced that it would have to lay off up to 15% of its workforce, Juul which dominates the market for e-cigarettes, faced a lawsuit from a former executive accusing it of selling contaminated vaping pods to retailers. It is another blow for e-cigarettes, which are under scrutiny in dozens of cases of lung disease.
在宣布不得不裁員15%的一周內，主導電子煙市場的Juul面臨著一名前高管的訴訟，指控其向零售商銷售受污染的蒸汽煙彈。這是電子煙遭受的又一次打擊，目前因數十起肺部疾病病例，電子煙正在接受調查。
General Electric reported another huge quarterly net loss, this time of $9.5bn, as it booked charges connected to its restructuring. Some $8.7bn of that relates to writing down its investment in Baker Hughes, an oil-services firm.
通用電氣報告了另一筆巨額季度凈虧損，這一次的金額為95億美元，因為其計入了與重組相關的費用。其中87億美元與減記對石油服務公司貝克休斯的投資有關。
The long-awaited IPO of Saudi Aramco was reportedly ready to be launched on November 3rd. Shares in the world’s biggest oil company, owned by the Saudi state, are expected to start trading in mid-December.
據報道，沙特國家石油公司期待已久的首次公開募股已準備好在11月3日啟動。預計這家全球最大石油公司的股票將于12月中旬開始交易。
譯文為可可英語翻譯，未經授權請勿轉載！
