本周国际要闻
Business
经济
In a stunning turn of events, Chinese regulators suspended the initial public offering in Shanghai of Ant Group, just days before the fintech firm was due to float its shares in a dual listing both there and in Hong Kong. It was expected to be the world’s most valuable IPO ever, potentially raising $34bn. Ant had been given the green light for the sale, but China’s foreign ministry said the decision had been taken “to better safeguard capital market stability and protect investor rights”. Ant’s online-lending business was said to be a concern; new rules were published forcing such lenders to back their loans with more of their own capital. The shelving of Ant’s IPO is a blow to Jack Ma, its founder.
在一系列令人震惊的事件中,中国监管机构叫停了蚂蚁集团在上海的首次公开募股,而就在几天前,这家金融科技公司计划在上海和香港两地同时上市。预计这将成为有史以来全球市值最高的IPO,或将筹资340亿美元。蚂蚁集团已获准出售股票,但中国外交部表示,这一(叫停)决定是“为了更好地维护资本市场稳定和保护投资者权益”。据说蚂蚁集团的在线借贷业务令人担忧;新出台的规定迫使这类贷款机构用更多的自有资金来支持其贷款。搁置蚂蚁集团的上市计划,对其创始人马云来说是一次打击。
Uber, Lyft and other companies that work in the gig economy won a big victory in California when voters approved a measure that will allow them to avoid reclassifying their drivers as employees. The companies will not now have to comply with a state law compelling them to provide benefits like sick pay to drivers, although some have pledged to offer more protections. Uber and its allies spent $200m supporting the measure, the most expensive-ever campaign for a ballot initiative in the state.
优步(Uber)、Lyft和其他从事零工经济的公司在加州赢得了一场重大胜利。投票者通过了一项措施,避免将司机重新归类为雇员。尽管一些公司承诺提供更多的保护措施,但如今这些公司将不必遵守州法律的强制要求,为司机提供带薪病假等福利。优步和它的盟友花费了2亿美元来支持这项措施,这是该州有史以来代价最高的投票活动。
BMW had a bumper third quarter, driven by a surge in sales in China, which were up by 31% year on year. Sales in Europe also rose, but the carmaker warned that its business remains volatile because of COVID-19. Its global deliveries were still 12.5% lower in the first nine months than in the same period last year.
由于在华销量同比增长31%,宝马第三季度销量大幅增长。在欧洲的销量也有所上升,但这家汽车制造商警告称,由于新冠疫情的影响,其业务仍不稳定。今年前九个月,该公司的全球交付量仍比去年同期下降了12.5%。
The euro area’s GDP expanded by 12.7% in the third quarter by comparison with the previous three months, bouncing back from recession. Year on year, however, the currency bloc’s economy shrank by 4.3%. America’s economy also pulled out of recession, growing by 7.4% in the third quarter, though year on year it was down by 2.9%.
与前三个月相比,欧元区第三季度的国内生产总值(GDP)增长了12.7%,从衰退中反弹。然而,欧元区的经济同比萎缩了4.3%。美国经济也走出了衰退,第三季度增长了7.4%,尽管同比下降了2.9%。
Turkey’s annual inflation rate ticked up to 11.9% in October. The lira, which has lost around a third of its value against the dollar this year, fell to another new low.
土耳其的年通胀率在10月份上升到了11.9%。里拉兑美元汇率今年已下跌约三分之一,跌至又一个新低。