おはようございます。
オバマ氏の大統領就任式で130トンを超えるごみが式場に残されたそうです。「新たなる希望」誕生の場に残されたごみ。散乱しているオバマグッズを見ると何とも言えない嫌な気分にさせられます。
米オバマ大統領、景気刺激策 詳細を巡り論議も２月半ばまでに議会承認を得るのが目標
Obama: Stimulus Bill on Track Despite Debate (WSJ.com)
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama conceded Friday that his administration and lawmakers disagree on some of the details of the $825 billion economic recovery package being crafted in Congress, but said the legislation is on track to be completed by Presidents Day weekend.
"We are experiencing an unprecedented, perhaps, economic crisis that has to be dealt with and dealt with rapidly," Mr. Obama said in brief remarks to reporters before a meeting with Congressional leaders from both parties. "Frankly, the news has not been good. Each day brings, I think, greater focus on the problems we're having, not only in terms of job loss but also in terms of some of the instabilities in the financial system."
Friday's meeting with lawmakers comes amid mounting partisan division over the recovery package's components, with Republicans complaining that the plan is overloaded with unnecessary spending that will do little to break the economy out of its slump. Mr. Obama has pushed for bipartisan support of the package, but early indications suggest it could pass Congress with slim Republican support.
Presidents Day weekend: プレジデンツ・デー（09年は２月16日）を含む週末
bipartisan: 超党派の
米GEの10－12月期、純利益44％減 航空部門の増益が他部門の減益を補う
GE profit drops 44% (Dayton Business Journal)
Soaring profits at its GE Aviation unit helped keep General Electric Co.’s fourth-quarter downturn from being much worse.
GE (NYSE: GE) posted fourth-quarter net income of $3.9 billion, or 36 cents per share, which is down 44 percent from $6.7 billion, or 68 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Total revenue dropped 5 percent, to $46.2 billion from $48.5 billion. Analysts, on average, had expected earnings per share of 37 cents and revenue of $50 billion.
GE Aviation, which is part of the Technology and Infrastructure segment, reported fourth-quarter profit of $1.16 billion, up 21 percent from $959 million in fourth-quarter 2007, and revenue of $5.2 billion, up 2 percent from $5 billion, year over year.
GE Aviation unit: 航空部門GEアビエーション
米製薬大手ファイザー、同業ワイス買収に向け交渉中 主力製品の特許切れ後を睨む
Pfizer in talks to buy American rival Wyeth (guardian.co.uk)
The American drugs company Pfizer is in talks to buy rival Wyeth in a deal worth as much as $60bn (£44bn), as the pharmaceuticals industry scrambles to overcome the expiry of lucrative patents on blockbuster medicines.
Negotiations between the two companies have been under way for months but a deal is not thought to be imminent. Turmoil on the global financial markets has made it challenging for companies to complete multibillion-pound transactions.
Pfizer, the world's biggest drugs company in revenue terms, is looking for ways to plug a potential gap in its earnings as its anti-cholesterol pill Lipitor loses patent protection in 2011 – a change that will allow competitors into the market with cheaper, copycat drugs.
expiry of lucrative patent: 利益をもたらす特許の期限切れ
blockbuster medicine: 主力薬
imminent: 差し迫っている
英国、GDP２期連続のマイナス成長 リセッション入りが公式に確認される
Britain Enters Recession (WSJ.com)
LONDON -- The U.K. has officially entered a recession, with the economy contracting a massive 1.5% in the fourth quarter after a 0.6% fall between July and September, the Office for National Statistics said Friday.
The worse-than-expected GDP data point to continued interest rate cuts from the Bank of England. On the year, gross domestic product contracted 1.8% compared with the third quarter's 0.3% annual growth.
It's the first time since 1991 that the economy has contracted in two consecutive quarters -- the official definition of a recession.
gross domestic product: GDP、国内総生産
in two consecutive quarters: ２四半期連続で
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良い一日を(o^-')b