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The world this week
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American banks had a bumper first quarter, with profits and revenues beating analysts’ expectations. They were helped by frenzied market activity, such as the surge in special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and retail investing. And, thanks to America’s recovering economy, some banks were able to release funds that had been set aside to cover bad loans. JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both reported record revenues. Returns on tangible common equity, a measure which compares profits to capital, jumped to 29% at JPMorgan and to 33% at Goldman. Wells Fargo posted strong results too.
美國的銀行在第一季度業績斐然，利潤和收入都超過了分析師的預期。他們得益于狂熱的市場活動，如特殊目的收購公司(spacs)和零售投資的激增。而且，由于美國經濟的復蘇，一些銀行能夠釋放出撥備資金，來彌補不良貸款。摩根大通(jpmorgan chase)和高盛(Goldman Sachs)都公布了創紀錄的收入。摩根大通和高盛的有形普通股股本回報率(一種衡量利潤與資本的指標)分別躍升至29%和33%。富國銀行也公布了強勁的業績。
Consumer prices in America rose by 2.6% in the 12 months ending in March, compared with 1.7% in February. The jump was in part caused by the fact that inflation figures compare prices today with what they were a year ago. That was when the first COVID-19 wave spread through the country, pushing down prices.
在截至今年3月份的12個月里，美國的消費物價指數上漲了2.6%，相比之下，2月份上漲了1.7%。通貨膨脹數據將目前的消費物價指數與一年前進行對比是導致這次上漲的部分原因。當時，第一波新冠肺炎疫情席卷全國，壓低了消費物價指數。
America’s budget deficit grew to a record $1.7trn in the six months since October. Federal spending soared last month, following the third round of stimulus payments aimed at boosting the economy.
自去年10月以來的六個月里，美國的預算赤字增長到了創紀錄的1.7萬億美元。在發出第三輪旨在提振經濟的刺激支票之后，上個月聯邦的支出大幅增加。
Britain’s economy improved slightly in February as GDP grew by 0.4% compared with the previous month. The uptick was caused by a recovery in post-Brexit trade with the European Union and by businesses adapting to lockdown conditions.
英國經濟在2月份有所改善，GDP比上個月增長了0.4%。這一上升主要得益于英國脫歐后與歐盟的貿易復蘇，以及企業逐漸適應了封鎖措施。
The International Energy Agency revised up this year’s forecast for the growth in oil demand by 230,000 barrels a day to 5.7m. The revision is the result of faster economic recoveries than previously expected, particularly in America and China.
國際能源署(IEA)將今年的石油需求增長預測上調了23萬桶/天，比上年增加570萬桶/日。這一調整是經濟復蘇速度超過預期的結果，尤其是中、美兩國經濟的良好勢頭。
Bernie Madoff, the former financial adviser, died aged 82. He was the mastermind behind the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme, which defrauded investors out of $19bn. He died in a federal prison in North Carolina while serving a 150-year sentence.
前金融顧問伯尼·麥道夫(Bernie Madoff)去世，享年82歲。他是世界上最大的龐氏騙局的策劃者，騙走了投資者190億美元。他被判處150年刑期，在北卡羅來納州的聯邦監獄服刑期間去世。
After a long and bitter battle, Suez and Veolia, two French water companies, agreed to merge. For months Suez’s board resisted the tie-up. But a higher bid that values Suez at 13bn euros ($15bn) helped secure the deal. The transaction will create a giant in the water industry with revenues of 37bn euros. Both companies’ share prices rose by nearly 10%.
經過漫長而艱苦的斗爭，兩家法國水務公司蘇伊士和威立雅同意合并。蘇伊士集團董事會幾個月來一直抵制這次合并。不過，在對收購蘇伊士集團的報價提高至130億歐元(合150億美元)后才最終敲定了這筆交易。這筆交易將締造一家銷售額為370億歐元的水務行業巨頭。兩家公司的股價都上漲了近10%。
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