Fears remain on US recovery

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One of the biggest US companies has warned that the country’s economy remains fragile, with recovery far from secure.
美国最大公司之一——3M公司警告称，美国经济仍然脆弱，复苏还远远谈不上稳固。

The alert came as DuPont and 3M, two of the biggest industrial companies, reported better than expected fourth-quarter results on Tuesday and raised their profit outlook for this year on the back of demand from emerging markets.
这一警告发出之际，受到新兴市场需求的提振，美国两家最大的工业企业杜邦(DuPont)和3M周二发布了高于预期的第四季度业绩，并上调了今年的利润前景。

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However, 3M raised worries on the outlook for it home market. George Buckley, chief executive of the diversified manufacturer and Dow component, said that recent US economic indicators and corporate earnings had been positive but a rise in employment levels was needed to lift the economy.
然而，3M对本国市场前景感到担忧。3M产品多样，是道琼斯指数成分股。该公司首席执行官乔治•巴克利(George Buckley)表示，最近美国的经济指标和企业利润双双向好，但要提振经济，就业水平还需增长。

“There’s still a lot of smoke without fire,” he said. “We should all remain cautious. We need to ensure this will be a dawn and not a forest fire coming our way.”
巴克利表示：“虽然没有火，但现在仍然在冒烟。我们都应该保持谨慎。我们需要确保到来的是黎明，而不是向我们烧来的森林大火。”

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Mr Buckley said the growth of the US economy would be led by emerging markets. “I don’t expect to see big improvements in the US until employment takes a material turn for the better. Any gains here are likely to be export-oriented,” he said
巴克利表示，美国经济的增长将由新兴市场引领。他说：“我认为，在就业状况出现实质性改善之前，美国经济不会明显改观。这方面的任何增长可能都是出口推动的。”

The 3M chief’s comments underscore how big US companies have increasingly focused their business plans on emerging markets. Both DuPont and 3M also warned of the impact of rising costs.
3M首席执行官的评论突显出，大型美国公司越来越重视它们在新兴市场的业务计划。杜邦和3M也都对成本日益上升的影响提出了警告。

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3M reported a 1 per cent drop in net profits for the fourth-quarter compared with the same period a year earlier, as operating margins fell on higher raw material prices.
3M公布，由于原材料价格上涨导致营业利润率下降，去年第四季度净利润同比下降1%。

DuPont, the US’s third-biggest chemical maker by sales, also said on Tuesday that its net income fell by 15 per cent in the fourth quarter because of more expensive crude oil and other raw material costs.
美国销量排名第三的化学品制造商杜邦周二也表示，由于原油及其它原材料成本上升，公司第四季度净利润下降15%。

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US Steel reported fourth-quarter profits below Wall Street expectations, as it said its cost of goods sold surged by 23 per cent because of increased prices for commodities such as iron ore and coking coal.
美国钢铁公司(US Steel)公布的第四季度利润低于华尔街预期。该公司表示，由于铁矿石和焦煤等大宗商品价格上涨，其销货成本飙升了23%。

However, the results of DuPont and 3M were better than expected by analysts.
然而，杜邦和3M的业绩好于分析师的预期。

3M said it now expected profits for 2011 to be $5.95-$6.20 per share, up from its previous forecast of $5.90-$6.10 per share. DuPont said earnings per share this year would rise to $3.45-$3.75, against a forecast it issued last month of $3.30-$3.60.
3M表示，该公司现预计2011年每股收益将为5.95美元至6.20美元，高于先前预期的5.90美元至6.10美元。杜邦表示，今年每股收益将升至3.45美元至3.75美元，高于上月预期的3.30美元至3.60美元。

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3M said its fourth-quarter profit was $928m or $1.28 per share – down from $935m or $1.30 per share in the same period a year earlier, but above analysts’ average forecasts of $1.27 per share.
3M表示，公司第四季度实现利润9.28亿美元，合每股1.28美元，低于去年同期的9.35亿美元，合每股1.30美元，但高于分析师每股1.27美元的平均预测值。

DuPont reported net income for the fourth quarter of $376m, or 40 cents per share, down from $441m or 48 cents per share a year earlier.
杜邦宣布第四季度实现净利润3.76亿美元，合每股40美分，低于去年同期的4.41亿美元，合每股48美分。