VOA标准英语2009年-World Markets Mixed Amid Stimulus and Corporate

World markets were mixed Thursday due to investor¹ concerns over the U.S. stimulus² plan and more gloomy corporate³ news. In Britain, the Royal Bank of Scotland, or RBS, has posted the largest annual loss in U.K. corporate history with a $34 billion shortfall for 2008.
　
An investor scratches his head as he looks at stock price monitor at private securities company in Shanghai, China, 26, Feb. 2009

Investors⁴ in Asia say more specifics about the U.S. government's financial rescue plan are required to change market sentiment there.

On Thursday, most Asian indices were down. Only markets in Australia and Taiwan rose.

In Europe, the picture was more upbeat as investors welcomed a British plan that will allow struggling banks to access government insurance against future losses.

In the case of the Royal Bank of Scotland, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of debt will now be covered by the taxpayer⁵-funded asset protection program.

Because of this, British taxpayers⁶ now hold an 84 percent stake in the bank. Treasury⁷ Secretary Alistair Darling maintains the move is necessary.

"We are putting in additional support to RBS to help it get through this recession and in addition to that we are offering insurance about 325 billion pounds of assets, these are things like commercial loans or mortgages which are worth less now then they were perhaps a few months ago but which we hope will increase in value as we get through this recession," Darling said.

The asset insurance announcement came on the same day as the bank disclosed the highest-ever annual corporate loss in British history of $34 billion.

Despite the huge sums, Darling promises when this global downturn is finally over, the taxpayer will see the money currently being pumped into institutions like RBS, returned to the public coffers.

"Because the majority shareholding⁸ is owned by the taxpayer, when we are able to return RBS to normal, private ownership in the commercial sector⁹, then of course those shares will be sold and that money will come back to the taxpayer," he said.

Meanwhile, there is widespread anger in the country with the disclosure that the former chief executive of RBS has started to collect a $930,000 a year pension from the bank that is now being supported by public funds.
　
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (file photo)

Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the matter is being looked at.

"What we are trying to do whether it is with the bonus culture, the remuneration culture, the pensions culture or with the vast sponsorships of some of these companies is clean up the banking¹⁰ system so that it does the job it was intended to do, what people used to trust the banks to do," the prime minister said. "And that is, to lend money to ordinary citizens and keep the deposits safe and that is what we will continue to do, to make that clean up comprehensive."

Other institutions such as the Lloyds banking group are said to be looking into participating in the government's asset-protection plan.

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 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

3 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。

4 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

5 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

6 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

7 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

8 shareholding   

n.股权

参考例句：

• Shareholding commercial banks must exercise an independent system of board of directors. 股份制商业银行必须实行独立董事制度。 来自互联网
• Asset re-structuring: to conduct shareholding reform for high quality assets. 资产重组：对优质资产进行股份制改造。 来自互联网

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 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。