澳洲新闻 (ABC新闻快递) 2010-10-09

The Australian dollar is nearing parity¹ with the greenback. It's currently buying about 98.1 US cents, but it reached 99.14 overnight, its highest level since the currency was floated back in December 1983. Westpac says it could overtake the greenback by Christmas and CommSec says it could happen tonight.

"It could occur in hours rather than weeks or  a month. In 11:30 Sydney time or air time tonight, the US employment figures will be released. Now if they are decidedly weak, that US dollar may fall against all major currencies. As a result, the Aussie dollar might get catapulted again above 99 cents and perhaps track as high as parity."

The local share market finished the day in the red, weighed down by the stronger dollar. The All Ords lost six points, the ASX 200 fell 10. Retailers² led the losses. Harvey Norman fell nearly four per cent. JB HiFi fell more than four after it was downgraded by Credit Suisse to underperform. The banks were also lower. The Commonwealth³ Bank was the worst of the big four, closing down three quarters of a percent. Fortescue Metals though bucked⁴ the trend, putting on five per cent.

Asian markets were mixed. Japan's Nikkei lost half a percent. Encouraging US employment news failed to boost investor⁵ confidence in the US overnight and loses among mining stocks sent the British share market down a third of a percent.

1 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

2 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

3 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

4 bucked   

adj.快v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的过去式和过去分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• When he tried to ride the horse, it bucked wildly. 当他试图骑上这匹马时，它突然狂暴地跃了起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The plane bucked a strong head wind. 飞机顶着强烈的逆风飞行。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。