全球天然气供应短缺持续震动着市场

The world this week - Business

本周国际要闻——商业

A global shortage of natural-gas supplies continued to convulse markets.

全球天然气供应短缺持续震动着市场。

Prices have soared in recent weeks, especially in Europe, following a convergence of adverse factors, such as booming demand in Asia coinciding with tight stocks of liquefied natural gas.

最近几周，液化天然气价格飙升，尤其是在欧洲，这是由一系列不利因素叠加而成的，比如亚洲需求激增，而液化天然气库存吃紧。

In Europe some governments are stepping in to alleviate the pressure on spiralling household bills.

在欧洲，一些政府正在介入，以缓解不断攀升的家庭账单所带来的压力。

The International Energy Agency pointed out that Russia’s gas exports to Europe are below their level of 2019, and urged it to “do more to increase gas availability”.

国际能源署指出，俄罗斯对欧洲的天然气出口低于2019年的水平，并敦促俄罗斯“采取更多措施增加天然气供应”。

One of the many knock-on effects of the turmoil in gas markets was a shortage of carbon dioxide as an industrial gas in Britain.

天然气市场动荡带来众多连锁反应，其中之一是英国用作工业气体的二氧化碳短缺。

A big producer of carbon dioxide had to close its factories because of soaring natural-gas prices, which in turn led to warnings from the chicken industry about a possible paucity of poultry.

由于天然气价格飙升，一家大型二氧化碳生产商不得不关闭工厂，这接着又引发养鸡业可能出现家禽短缺的预警。

Carbon dioxide is used to stun hens for slaughter.

二氧化碳被用来昏迷待宰的母鸡。

Evergrande, one of China’s biggest property developers, said it had “resolved” the payment of interest on a domestic bond amid a liquidity crisis.

中国最大的房地产开发商之一恒大地产表示，在流动性危机中，该公司已“解决”了国内债券的利息支付问题。

The highly indebted company has warned of a default and has reportedly missed interest payments to bank creditors.

这家负债累累的公司已经发出了违约警告，据报道，该公司未能向银行债权人支付利息。

Investors are watching nervously.

投资者正在紧张观望。

The central bank has been pumping liquidity into the financial system to shore up confidence.

央行一直在向金融系统注入流动性以提振信心。

The official statement from the Federal Reserve’s meeting this week prepared markets for the strong possibility that it will start to taper its pandemic-programme asset purchases in November.

美联储本周会议发表的官方声明，让市场做好准备，即美联储极有可能在11月开始缩减其针对疫情的资产购买计划。

The central bank also hinted at an interest rate rise next year.

央行还暗示明年将加息。

The OECD raised its forecast for inflation in the G20 countries, in part because of higher shipping costs and energy prices.

经济合作与发展组织上调了对G20成员国的通胀预期，部分原因是航运成本和能源价格上涨。

The average annual inflation rate for the group is now expected to be 3.7% this year and 3.9% in 2022.

目前预计该集团今年的平均通胀率为3.7%，2022年为3.9%。

Battling inflation that is nearing 10%, Brazil’s central bank raised its main interest rate for the fifth consecutive month.

为了对抗接近10%的通货膨胀率，巴西央行连续第五个月提高了基准利率。