恐怖袭击可能会削弱投资者信心

恐怖袭击可能会削弱投资者信心

Terror Attack Could Weaken Investor¹ Confidence
Elaine Johanson
New York
12 Sep 2001 20:45 UTC

Wall Street remains² 1)shrouded in uncertainty³, one day after the terror attack on the World Trade Center closed U.S. 2)financial markets.
The attack on the World Trade Center knocked out a lot of the physical structure for the U.S. stock market. However, 3)analysts⁴ say the more devastating⁵ effect could be a further weakening of investor confidence.
The U.S. economy is barely growing. Corporate⁶ profits have been 4)slumping. And now the most optimistic hopes for the beginnings of a recovery in the fourth quarter or early next year have been put on hold by an act of terror.
Some experts are expecting Wall Street to at least match Tuesday's market losses in Europe and Asia, when trading in New York 5)reopens.
The markets hate uncertainty of any kind. During the Gulf⁷ crisis in the early 1990s, the U.S. stock market fell abbut 20 percent between the time Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the U.S. led bombing campaign against Iraq.
The worst fear on Wall Street is that all the uncertainties⁸ that come out of Tuesday's attack will 6)linger. Few doubt that there will be a negative economic fall-out.
The Federal Reserve Board, the U.S. central bank, took fast action Tuesday by making sure banks had enough money. But Jeremy Siegel, a professor of finance at the Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, says the "Fed" has to do more. He says another 7)interest rate cut would help.
"The Federal Reserve, I think very definitely, should step in now and give a confidence-8)boosting 50 basis point drop in rates because I think we'll need it," Mr. Siegel said. "Certainly we know that certain industries are going to benefit. Other industries are going to suffer. Travel, entertainment, restaurants, hotels. It's going to be extremely severe."
Some analysts are worried that the 9)telecommunications sector⁹ will be especially hard hit. Businesses, they fear, will put off even more buying new technology. Capital spending has been down all year because of the 10)softening economy.
Another big issue for U.S. business is how American 11)consumers will react to Tuesday's terror? Will they put off big purchases for the 12)foreseeable future? The consumer so far has kept the U.S. economy growing. And many economists¹⁰ assumed that consumer confidence, while drifting lower recently, would hold up well enough.
But Tuesday's events struck terror at the general sense of well being.

(1) shroud[FraJd] vt. 遮蔽, 隐藏
(2) financial[faI5nAnF(E)l]adj.财政的, 金融的
(3) analyst[5AnElIst]n.分析家, 分解者
(4) slump[slQmp]n.消沉, 衰退, (物价)暴跌v.失败, (物价)暴跌, 跌落
(5) reopen[ri:5EJpEn]v.重开, 再开始
(6) linger[5lIN^E(r)]v.逗留, 闲荡, 拖延, 游移
(7) interest rate n.利率
(8) boost[bu:st]v.推进
(9) telecommunication[telIkEmju:nI5keIF(E)n]n.电讯, 长途通讯, 无线电通讯
(10) soften[5sRf(E)n]v.(使)变柔软, (使)变柔和
(11) consumer[kEn5sju:mE(r)]n.消费者
(12) foreseeable[ fR:`si:Ebl ]adj.可预知的, 能预测的, 能看透的

 

1 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。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

4 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。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》