Business this week (2020.06.06) Part.02

The euro zone’s unemployment rate rose slightly in April to 7.3%. Almost 12m people were officially counted as jobless, far fewer than America’s 23m.

The British government announced that its scheme paying the wages of furloughed workers will end in October. In the final two months the government’s contribution will drop from 80% to 60%; employers will have to cover 10% of the cost in September and 20% in October. People will be allowed to work part-time and still participate in the scheme from July, which is when the government is expected to unveil a huge stimulus package. Covid payments were also extended to the self-employed.

• furlough
  • [verb] to lay off (staff) temporarily （通常指无足够工作可做而）休假，停职（无薪假）
• self-employed
  • 个体经营的，自由职业的

An index of manufacturing activity in Britain improved in May, though IHS Markit, which compiled the survey, said conditions in the industry were still “at depths unseen outside of the current pandemic and the global financial crisis” of 2007-09.

• index
  • （物价和工资等的）指数
• compile
  • 编写（书、列表、报告等）；编纂
• survey
  • 总体研究，全面评述；调查
• industry
  • [U] 工业
    • heavy/light industry 重/轻工业
  • [C] 行业
    • the catering/tourist industry 饮食/旅游业

Brazil’s economy shrank by 1.5% in the first three months of the year compared with the previous quarter. With the number of covid cases and deaths increasing steadily Brazilians are almost certainly heading into another deep downturn. Australia’s GDP contracted by 0.3%: the Lucky Country is facing its first recession in three decades.

• downturn
  • [usually sing.] （商业经济的）衰退，下降，衰退期
• recession
  • 经济衰退，经济萎缩

JDE Peet’s raised €2.25bn ($2.5bn) when it floated on the Amsterdam stock exchange, making it Europe’s biggest IPO in two years. JAB Holdings retains a majority stake in the coffee company, which includes Douwe Egberts, Kenco, Peet’s Coffee and Tassimo among its brands. In New York Warner Music’s IPO on the Nasdaq raised $1.9bn, valuing the company at $12.8bn.

• float
  • （公司或企业）发行（股票）上市
• IPO
  • initial public offering （公司股票的）首次公开发行，上市
• JAB Holdings
  • JAB控股
• retain
  • 保持，继续拥有
• Nasdaq
  • 纳斯达克股票交易所，是美国的一间电子股票交易所，创立于1971年，是现在世界上第二大的证券交易所。“NASDAQ”原为National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations（全国证券交易商协会自动报价系统）的缩写。

An increase in passenger rides at Lyft was seen as a sign that the American economy is starting its journey to recovery. The ride-hailing company reported that despite the lockdown rides had increased by 26% in May over April, though they were down by 70% compared with May last year.

• ride
  • （乘车的）短途旅行；搭便车
• hail
  • 招手（请出租车或公共汽车停下）
    • to hail a taxi/cab

Meanwhile, Volve sold 41% more cars in May than April, as lockdowns eased in several markets. Showroom traffic in Europe increased and sales in China continued to grow.

• showroom
  • 商品陈列室，展销厅
• traffic
  • 人流量；物流

One big beneficiary from the lockdowns reported a 169% jump in revenue for the first quarter, year on year. Zoom said 265,400 firms with more than ten staff were now using its videoconference platform, a rise of 354%. Zoom’s stock has soared. The company is worth over $63bn, up from $16bn when it went public 14 months ago. Zoom’s boss, Eric Yuan, said he was “humbled".

• beneficiary
  • a person who gains as a result of sth 受益者
• humble
  • [verb] to make someone understand that they are not as important or special as they thought 使感到渺小/卑微（第一人称使用时，常表示谦逊）
  • [adjective] 谦逊的；（级别或地位）低下的