评论
打印
There was so much oil in April 2020 that the price of a barrel of oil in the American state of Texas fell below $0 for a short time.
2020年4月，石油供给量如此之多，以至于美国得克萨斯州的石油价格一度跌破每桶0美元。
Sellers had to pay buyers to take it.
卖家不得不赔钱卖给买家。
Less than two years later, the international price of a barrel of oil rose above $100 Thursday.
不到两年后，周四，国际油价升至每桶100美元以上。
The increase followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之后，国际油价开始上涨。
And it came at a time when the world's economy is slowly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
而此时，世界经济正从新冠疫情中缓慢复苏。
Russia and Ukraine together produce less than two percent of the world's gross domestic product--the total market value of both countries' finished goods and services.
俄罗斯和乌克兰两国的生产总值（即两国制成品和服务的总市场价值）加起来不到全球的2%。
But the conflict has increased existing inflation.
但这场冲突加剧了已经存在的通货膨胀。
This has frightened investors and affected everyone from Europe to Asia and Africa.
这吓坏了投资者并影响了欧洲、亚洲和非洲的每个人。
Russia is the world's third-biggest oil producer and is a major exporter of natural gas.
俄罗斯是世界第三大石油生产国，也是天然气的主要出口国。
Ukraine's farms provide food for millions of people around the world.
乌克兰的农场为世界各地数百万人提供食物。
Europe receives about 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia.
欧洲约40%的天然气来自俄罗斯。
The price of gas is now four times higher than it was at the start of 2021.
目前的天然气价格是2021年年初的4倍。
And Germany, on Tuesday, suspended approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as part of Western nations' economic sanctions against Russia.
周二，作为西方国家对俄罗斯经济制裁的一部分，德国暂停审批北溪2号天然气管道。
A mild winter and liquefied natural gas from the United States have helped ease some of Europe's concerns about a possible loss of Russian gas supplies.
暖冬和来自美国的液化天然气帮助缓解了欧洲对可能失去俄罗斯天然气供应的部分担忧。
High gas prices, however, have led to higher costs for home heating fuel and cutbacks by heavy industrial users.
然而，高昂的天然气价格导致家庭取暖燃料成本上升，重工业用户也削减了使用量。
The yearly rate of inflation also rose to 5.1 percent in January in the 19 countries that use the euro.
1月，使用欧元的19个国家的年通胀率也上升到了5.1%。
That is the highest rate since record-keeping began for the group in 1997.
这是该组织自1997年开始有记录以来的最高通胀率。
Ukraine is the world's fifth-largest wheat exporter.
乌克兰是全球第五大小麦出口国。
The threat to farms in eastern Ukraine and exports through Black Sea ports could reduce wheat supplies at a time when food prices are at their highest level since 2011.
在食品价格处于自2011年以来的最高水平之际，这次冲突对乌克兰东部农场以及通过黑海港口出口造成的威胁可能会减少小麦供应。
Some countries are suffering from food shortages.
一些国家正遭受粮食短缺之苦。
Agriculture expert Alex Smith wrote about the threat in the publication Foreign Policy last month.
农业专家亚历克斯·史密斯上个月在《外交政策》杂志上撰文阐述了这一威胁。
Many countries that depend on Ukraine's wheat, he wrote, "already face food insecurity from ongoing political instability or outright violence."
他写道，许多依赖乌克兰小麦的国家“已经因持续的政治不稳定因素或直接的暴力而面临粮食不安全问题。”
Yemen, for example, imports 22 percent of its wheat from Ukraine, Libya about 43 percent and Lebanon about half.
例如，也门22%的小麦从乌克兰进口，利比亚约43%的小麦从乌克兰进口，黎巴嫩约50%的小麦从乌克兰进口。
Rising energy and food prices will increase pressure on policymakers and central banks struggling to control inflation.
不断上涨的能源和食品价格将加大努力控制通货膨胀的政策制定者和央行的压力。
The London-based research firm Capital Economics estimated that the Ukraine crisis could force higher natural gas prices and send oil prices up to as much as $140 a barrel.
总部位于伦敦的研究公司凯投宏观估计，乌克兰危机可能会迫使天然气价格上涨，并将油价推高至每桶140美元。
That combination would add two percentage points to yearly inflation in the world's rich countries, Capital Economics said.
凯投宏观表示，这两种能源价格上涨将会使全球富裕国家的年通胀率增加2%。
In the United States, prices of goods, not including energy and food, rose at a rate of 7.5 percent for the 12 months ending in January.
在美国，不包括能源和食品在内的商品的价格在截至1月的12个月里以7.5%的速度上涨。
It was the highest yearly increase in 40 years.
这是40年来最高的年增长率。
On Tuesday, American President Joe Biden announced several new sanctions against Russian banks and powerful leaders for what he called "the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine."
周二，美国总统乔·拜登宣布对俄罗斯银行和有权势的领导人实施几项新的制裁，原因是他所说的“俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的开始”。
Biden also warned Americans, "As I said last week, defending freedom will have costs, for us as well and here at home."
拜登还警告美国人，“正如我上周所说的，捍卫自由是要付出代价的，对我们来说也是如此，对我们国内也是如此。”
As of Thursday, the American Automobile Association said the national average gasoline price in the U.S. is $3.54 a gallon, about 3.8 liters.
美国汽车协会表示，截至周四，全国汽油平均价格为每加仑（约合3.8升）3.54美元。
A gallon of gasoline cost $2.66 just one year ago.
就在一年前，每加仑汽油的价格为2.66美元。
The values of stocks, however, dropped in most financial markets around the world.
然而，全球大多数金融市场的股价都在下跌。
In Russia, the Moscow stock exchange dropped nearly 45 percent Thursday following President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a "military operation" against Ukraine.
在俄罗斯，在俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京宣布对乌克兰采取“军事行动”后，莫斯科证券交易所周四下跌了近45%。
And the nation's currency, the ruble, dropped to a record low against the American dollar.
该国货币卢布兑美元汇率也跌至历史最低点。
Market indexes in Europe, Asia and the U.S. all fell.
欧洲、亚洲和美国股市的指数均下跌。
In the face of international political worries, Michael Taylor, managing director at Moody's Investors Service, warned that investors may switch to safe investments.
面对对国际政治的担忧，穆迪投资者服务公司董事总经理迈克尔·泰勒警告称，投资者可能会转向安全投资。
If that happens, it could drive up the costs of borrowing for riskier businesses.
如果发生这种情况，可能会推高风险较高的企业的借贷成本。
"Chinese property developers would be particularly exposed to this risk" as they try to deal with large amounts of foreign debt this year, Taylor said.
泰勒说，“中国的房地产开发商将会特别容易受到这种风险的影响”，因为他们今年试图处理大量外债。
Some fear that financial markets could become riskier if the U.S. bans Russia from the worldwide financial payment network SWIFT.
一些人担心，如果美国禁止俄罗斯使用全球金融支付网络SWIFT，金融市场可能会变得更有风险。
The network links thousands of banks and permits them to exchange payments around the world.
该网络连接了数千家银行，允许它们在世界各地兑换支付。
Such a move would cut off oil payments to Russia which add up to 40 percent of the country's revenue.
这一举措将切断对俄罗斯的石油支付，俄罗斯的石油收入占该国收入的40%。
But it could also hurt U.S. and European companies that do business with Russian companies.
但这也可能会损害与俄罗斯公司有业务往来的美国和欧洲公司。
Elina Ribakova is an economist with the Institute of International Finance in Washington, D.C.
埃琳娜·里巴科娃是华盛顿国际金融研究所的一名经济学家。
She said risk is not limited to Russia.
她说，风险并不局限于俄罗斯。
"There is a risk for global finance as much as there is for Russia," said Ribakova.
里巴科娃说：“全球金融面临的风险与俄罗斯所面临的一样大。”
I'm Jill Robbins.
吉尔·罗宾斯为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
