美国有线新闻 CNN 美国原油暴跌进入熊市 恐加大经济压力

 

Because it's used to make everything from plastics to petroleum¹ to paint, crude oil is known as the mother of all commodities.

Oil prices are fascinating. That might not have been what you were expecting to hear but we're going to explain why. First, what's happening?

Prices of crude oil in the U.S. have dropped 26 percent since last month. At first, there were concerns there would be a shortfall in the global supply of crude oil. That caused prices to g?o up. Now, there are concerns there will be a glut², too much oil available and that sent prices crashing.

OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, generally wants higher crude prices. Its members economies are tied into oil sales. Higher prices usually mean more revenue for them.

This can also benefit American oil companies who can spend more money and hire more workers when prices are higher. However, crude oil is the biggest factor in the cost of gasoline. Higher gas prices, home heating prices, and a higher cost to travel can leave people with less money to spend on other things. That hurts the U.S. economy. As far as the global economy goes, rising crude prices can mean that demand is increasing, an indication the economy is growing. Falling prices can mean the opposite and many investors³ don't like to see that. So there are ripple⁴ effects to rising or falling oil prices.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 10 year bull run in crude oil is over. U.S. oil prices have tumbled more than 20 percent from their recent high, plunging⁶ them into a bear market. It's a stunning⁷ turn around. Just a few months ago, some analysts⁸ predicted oil could go to $100 a barrel. So what happened? A combination of factors. There are fears of slowing global growth. That would mean less demand for oil pushing prices lower. At the same time, there's plenty of supply. America is flooding the market with a record amount of crude, the most in 40 years.

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations are pumping more oil too. Although those countries are planning to cut back production. And U.S. sanctions on Iran are not as strict as some feared. The Trump⁹ Administration granted temporary waivers to India, China and a few other countries allowing them to keep buying oil from Iran, that avoided at least a temporary supply squeeze. So now oil is in the bear's den⁵ and the companies that drill for it are getting hammered.

Of course, low oil prices are a win for some fuel-dependent sectors¹⁰ like airlines and chemical companies. Consumers are celebrating too. Gas prices are finally slipping after refusing to budge¹¹ from a near four year high for much of 2018.

1 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

2 glut   

n.存货过多，供过于求；v.狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• The glut of coffee led to a sharp drop in prices.咖啡供过于求道致价格急剧下跌。
• There's a glut of agricultural products in Western Europe.西欧的农产品供过于求。

3 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

4 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。

5 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

6 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

8 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。

9 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

10 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》

11 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。