US, Japanese Stocks Rise in 2013-英语听力

[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English, [00:06.48]this is In the News. [00:08.94]Stock prices in the United States [00:11.75]and Japan rose sharply in 2013. [00:16.67]The rising prices were evidence of investors [00:20.57]welcoming efforts to push down interest rates. [00:25.78]Low interest rates help [00:28.27]to reduce the cost of homes, [00:30.67]equipment and other goods. [00:33.78]The leading measure of Japanese stock prices [00:37.93]was up 57 percent last year. [00:42.03]That was the best performance [00:44.64]for Japan's Nikkei Index in many years. [00:48.93]In the United States, another stock index, [00:53.25]the S&P 500, rose almost 30 percent in 2013. [01:00.21]Another measure of stocks, [01:02.61]the NASDAQ Composite Index, rose 38 percent. [01:07.74]The share prices were up, in part, [01:12.31]because of actions by the US and Japanese central banks. [01:18.00]The US Federal Reserve cut short-term interest rates [01:23.56]to almost zero a few years ago. [01:26.96]More recently, the Federal Reserve has been working [01:30.81]to push down long-term interest rates. [01:34.27]The central bank has been buying billions of dollars' [01:38.77]worth of bonds and other government securities. [01:43.04]The bank recently announced it would reduce that program [01:47.81]because the economy no longer needs so much help. [01:53.05]Nick Ventura is with Ventura Wealth Management, [01:56.97]a financial investment company in New Jersey. [02:01.41]He calls some of the actions by central banks [02:05.47]a "global gamble" that has worked, at least so far. [02:10.67]In 2013, the American economy grew and housing prices rose. [02:18.18]At the same time, the jobless rate fell a little. [02:22.78]Mr. Ventura says the improving economy [02:27.03]meant fewer wild movements in stock prices, [02:31.58]and fewer worried investors. [02:34.99]"Every time that there was the slightest pullback [02:38.34]in stock prices it was rewarded with a fresh round of buying. [02:41.85]So there is a growing confidence in the U.S. recovery [02:44.85]and I think that's what really perked up the U.S. economy." [02:47.75]Experts say they saw improvements in consumer [02:51.90]and investor confidence toward the end of last year. [02:56.22]That sense of trust seems to be making investors [03:00.87]more willing to take small risks by purchasing shares of stock. [03:06.99]The Wall Street Journal says investors [03:10.63]are simply looking for stocks with low prices [03:14.78]and a likelihood of strong earnings. [03:17.64]Another newspaper, The Financial Times, [03:21.83]reports that investments said to offer safety [03:26.04]in troubled economic times saw fewer buyers. [03:31.09]These investments include gold and government bonds. [03:36.86]Some experts predict stock prices will continue to climb in 2014, [03:44.11]but at a slower rate than last year. [03:48.01]Over in Turkey, a deepening political crisis [03:52.56]is affecting the country's stock market. [03:55.36]By the end of 2013, [03:57.87]Turkey's stock market had fallen more than 20 percent, [04:02.62]while the value of Turkish money hit new lows. [04:07.83]Concerns are growing about the effects of the power struggle [04:12.84]between the government and the judiciary. [04:16.29]More than 20 people, including state officials, [04:20.99]have been arrested on corruption charges. [04:24.79]Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismisses the investigation [04:29.99]as part of a plot to bring down his government. [04:34.74]Last week, protesters gathered in several cities [04:39.14]to demand the resignation of the prime minister. [04:42.78]Thousands of supporters of Mr. Erdogan held separate demonstrations. [04:49.14]And that's In the News from VOA Learning English. [04:55.40]I'm Steve Ember.