US, European Economies Shake Investors

 　　Major stock indexes in the United States dropped sharply on Thursday.

　　For many analysts², there are two main reasons for the market drop. One is the U.S. economy; the other is the European debt crisis.

　　Jon Henes, a managing partner and financial expert at the New York-based law firm, Kirkland and Ellis, said a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor³ Angela Merkel this past week to address Europe's financial troubles was underwhelming.

　　"We need to find a way to stabilize⁴ and capitalize the European banks before there is a monetary⁵ crisis. And then, on top of it, we’re looking at the U.S. and you’ve got inflation going up," said Henes. "You’ve got the housing market continuing to be in a depression and all the news coming out about housing is bad. You have the Philly [Philadelphia branch of the] Fed [Federal Reserve, or U.S. central bank,] report that came out today that was very weak. And as a result, you have people focused on what bad news there is in the economic world."

　　Henes said that because of the bad news, U.S. financial markets reacted negatively, causing what he called a crisis in confidence.

　　"What we’re seeing is Americans just not having confidence that our political leadership is going to get things done appropriately [not only] in the U.S., but also in Europe," said Henes.

　　Meanwhile, gold - traditionally considered a haven⁶ for investors⁷ - rose in price to more than $1,800 an ounce.

　　Peter Cardillo, chief market analyst¹ with Rockwell Global Capital, said soaring gold prices are due to several factors.

　　"One, continued central bank buying and, second, a total distrust in paper currencies. And so, obviously, investors are flocking to gold. And we will probably continue to see gold going higher."

　　Cardillo says gold might soon hit $2,000 an ounce. Cardillo also said he sees a slight recovery in the U.S. economy by year’s end.

1 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。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

4 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 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