Wall
Street is split between those who believe a fresh recession is underway
and those who are optimistic about the potential of individual
companies. September could be a make-or-break month for the stock
market. Last Friday, the Labor Department reported that unemployment
rose in 28 states and fell in only 9 states. Traders will be closely
watching a range of figures due this week for further signs of a
"double-dip" recession. They will be watching sales of new homes for
July, a report of
durable goods orders as well as data on jobless claims and consumer
sentiment during August. In spite of lackluster economic data, results
on earnings growth for typical companies have gone down only
slightly. |
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Words |
Pronunciation |
Meaning |
make-or-break |
MAKE-'r-break |
often
"make or break moment," means things will change a lot, either
positively or negatively |
figures |
FIG-yurs |
numbers |
"double-dip"
recession |
DU-bul-dip
ree-SE-shun |
when
GDP (gross domestic product) slides backward to negative after one or
two quarters of growth |
durable
goods |
DUR-u-bul
goods |
hard
goods--goods made in factories |
data |
DĀ-du
or DA-du |
facts
or statistics |
consumer |
kun-SOO-mer |
someone
who buys things |
sentiment |
SEN-ti-ment |
feeling |
lackluster |
LAK-lu-ster |
dull,
lacking spirit or life |
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