Dollar gains amid European concerns, upbeat U.S. job data

 　　NEW YORK, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. dollar climbed against major currencies this week as concerns about the European debt crisis again weighed on the euro and upbeat U.S. job data helped restore investors¹' confidence in the U.S. economy.

　　The dollar index gained 1.4 percent to 80.076 in the past week. Meanwhile, the euro dropped 1.9 percent against the dollar to 1.308.

　　The minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest monetary² policy meeting showed that the policymakers acknowledged recent signs of slightly stronger growth but still remained cautious about a broad pick-up in U.S. economic activities.

　　Meanwhile, the minutes also signaled that the Fed is less willing to launch a third round of quantitative³ easing policy, given the current economic situation.

　　The euro was under pressure this week as concerns about the European debt crisis again took center stage.

　　Spain's government has predicted its debt to gross domestic product ratio will soar to 79.8 percent in 2012, a record high since 1990. The country's labor⁴ market also worries investors as the number of jobless people rose by nearly 39,000 in March to over 4.75 million.

　　Also, the euro zone's unemployment rate climbed to a euro-era high of 10.8 percent in February from 10.7 percent in the previous month.

　　The region's manufacturing activities have shrunk for eight consecutive⁵ months as its Purchasing Manages Index in March dipped to 47.7 from 49.0 in February.

　　The European Central Bank has kept interest rate unchanged at a record low of 1 percent, believing that the ultra-loose monetary policy is vital for economic recovery. Bank President Mario Draghi said inflation remained a risk to the economic growth.

　　The gain of the dollar was also attributed to the upbeat U.S. job data.

　　The Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) reported that 209,000 jobs were added to private sectors⁶ in March, suggesting the U.S. job market is improving. The ADP report also provided some guidance for the upcoming monthly employment report due out on Friday.

　　The U.S. Labor Department said initial jobless claims decreased slightly to 357,000 last week, falling to the lowest level in four years. The upbeat job data helped raise investors' confidence in the U.S. economy.

　　The most anticipated non-farm payroll⁷ reports showed the U.S. economy added 120,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate dropped to a three-year low of 8.2 percent.

1 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

2 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。

3 quantitative   

adj.数量的，定量的

参考例句：

• He said it was only a quantitative difference.他说这仅仅是数量上的差别。
• We need to do some quantitative analysis of the drugs.我们对药物要进行定量分析。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

6 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。