The four biggest US banks are on course to capture their largest share of the industry’s profits in almost a decade, a sign of how they are consolidating their dominant market position.

美国四家最大型银行的行业利润份额有望达到近十年来的最高水平，这表明它们正在巩固市场主导地位。

JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, the four largest US banks by deposits and assets, collectively reported about $88bn in profits in the first nine months of 2024, according to Financial Times calculations based on figures from industry tracker BankRegData.

根据英国《金融时报》基于行业追踪器BankRegData的数据计算，存款和资产规模最大的四家美国银行——摩根大通(JPMorgan Chase)、美国银行(Bank of America)、花旗集团(Citigroup)和富国银行(Wells Fargo)——在2024年前9个月共报告了约880亿美元的利润。

Together they account for 44 per cent of the US banking industry’s profits — the highest share for the first nine months of the year since 2015 — despite the pool taking in more than 4,000 of the country’s other banks.

它们共同占据了美国银行业利润的44%——这是自2015年以来最高的前9个月数据——尽管统计样本还包括了美国其他4000多家银行。

——本文2024年12月24日发布于FT中文网，英文原题为 US banking giants capture biggest share of industry profits since 2015

Global investment in online education companies has fallen to its lowest level in a decade as the industry comes under pressure from the rapid rise of free generative artificial intelligence tools that are undercutting their products.   

随着免费生成式人工智能工具的迅速崛起，在线教育行业面临着巨大压力，这些工具正在削弱在线教育公司的产品，全球对在线教育公司的投资已降至十年来的最低水平。

Edtech businesses, which offer services such as online tutoring and exam practice, received just $3bn of investment in 2024, compared with $17.3bn at the peak of the pandemic in 2021, according to data from PitchBook. This is the smallest amount since 2014, when edtech companies attracted $2.3bn.

根据PitchBook的数据，提供在线辅导和考试练习等服务的教育科技企业在2024年仅获得30亿美元投资，而在2021年疫情高峰期则为173亿美元。这是自2014年教育科技公司吸引23亿美元投资以来的最小数额。

The huge decline comes as edtech companies, which soared in popularity during the pandemic amid mass school closures, have struggled to maintain subscriber growth after the end of the Covid-19 emergency. 

出现这一大幅下滑的原因是，教育科技公司——在疫情期间因学校大规模关闭而人气飙升——在新冠紧急状态结束后难以维持订户增长。

——本文2024年12月24日发布于FT中文网，英文原题为 Investment in online education groups plummets following rise of AI

South Korean companies fear that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment following a failed attempt to impose martial law this month has undermined efforts to lobby Donald Trump’s incoming administration to protect their exports and investments in the US.

韩国公司担心，韩国总统尹锡悦(Yoon Suk Yeol)本月因一次失败的戒严而遭弹劾，削弱了他们游说即将上任的唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)美国政府、以保护他们在美国的出口和投资的努力。

The US president-elect has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs and review generous subsidies for companies to invest in the US, including those for America’s allies and largest trading partners.

这名美国当选总统威胁要实施全面关税，并审查美国盟友和最大贸易伙伴等国家对企业在美投资的慷慨补贴。

But recent political turmoil in Seoul has left the campaign to counter Trump’s trade protectionism rudderless, according to several people involved in the lobbying effort who described the South Korean government’s diplomatic efforts as “paralysed” and “absent” in the wake of Yoon’s aborted power grab.

但据几位参与游说活动的人士称，首尔最近的政治动荡使得反对特朗普贸易保护主义的运动失去了方向。他们形容称，韩国政府在尹锡悦夺权未遂后的外交努力是“瘫痪”和“缺席”的。

——本文2024年12月24日发布于FT中文网，英文原题为 ‘A hostage situation’: South Korea paralysed in fight against Trump tariffs

The EU is emptying its gas storage facilities at the fastest pace since the energy crisis three years ago as colder weather and a decline in seaborne imports raise demand. 

随着天气转冷和海运进口量下降导致需求增加，欧盟正在以自三年前能源危机以来最快的速度消耗天然气储备。

The volume of gas in the bloc’s storage sites has dropped about 19 per cent from the end of September, when the refilling season ends in gas markets, to mid-December, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe, an industry body.

根据行业机构Gas Infrastructure Europe的数据，从9月底的天然气市场再充填季结束到12月中旬，欧盟储气设施中的天然气量下降了约19%。

The previous two years only saw single-digit drops over the same period, when higher than normal temperatures ensured that storage remained relatively full well into the winter heating season, and industries curbed demand due to higher prices.

前两年同期的降幅仅为个位数，当时气温高于正常水平，确保了储气库在冬季供暖季一直保持相对充足的状态，而且由于价格上涨，各行业抑制了需求。

——本文2024年12月24日发布于FT中文网，英文原题为 EU burns through gas storage at fastest rate since energy crisis