In the financial markets, the dawn of the new year has looked much like the twilight of the old: jittery and volatile. Markets plummeted after Apple warned, late on the year’s first day of trading, of weak iPhone sales in China — crystallising concerns that a Chinese slowdown, exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, could stiffen the headwinds facing the US corporate sector. They bounced on Friday after US jobs growth figures for December smashed expectations, and Jay Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, made emollient noises on interest rates.
在金融市場上，新年之初看起來與去年年底極為想像：緊張不安和動蕩。蘋果(Apple)在今年第一個交易日晚些時候就iPhone在中國銷售疲弱發出警告后，市場大跌。蘋果的警告明確了人們的如下擔憂可能成為現實：因美國總統唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)的關稅政策而加劇的中國經濟放緩，可能使美國企業所面臨的不利條件惡化。上周五，在美國12月份就業增長數據超出預期、美聯儲(Fed)主席杰伊?鮑威爾(Jay Powell)在利率問題上釋放緩和口風后，股市反彈。