金融英语阅读：European Union’s current account deficit rises sharply金融英语考试

文章作者 100test 发表时间 2010:07:26 01:17:04
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网

　　BRUSSELS, July 22 -- The European Unions current account deficit rose sharply to 34.8 billion euros (44.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, the EUs statistical arm Eurostat said Thursday.
　　Eurostat had predicted a deficit of 23.4 billion euros (29.9 billion dollars) in the current account of the 27-nation bloc in its first estimate earlier this month.
　　The revised figure was much higher than the 13.4-billion-euro (17.1-billion-dollars) deficit posted in the fourth quarter of 2009. But it still stayed below the 50.6-billion-euro (64.7-billion-dollar) deficit recorded in the same period last year.
　　According to Eurostates second estimate, the EUs services account remained surplus in the first quarter of this year, but 0dropped to 10.8 billion euros (13.8-billion-dollars) from 13.3 billion euros (17.0 billion dollars) in the same period last year.
　　In the first quarter of 2010, the EU made 28.9-billion-euro (36.9-billion-dollar) direct investments abroad, compared with 65.1 billion euros (83.3 billion dollars) in the same quarter last year.
　　Meanwhile, foreign direct investments drawn to the EU 0dropped to 26.8 billion euros (34.3 billion dollars) from 35.9 billion euros (45.9 billion dollars ) in the same quarter of 2009.
　　Among its main trading partners, the EU recorded the largest surplus with the United States and the biggest deficit with China in the first quarter.