美國基準油價12年來首次跌破每桶30美元

The brutal sell-off that has hammered oil prices since the turn of the year continued on Tuesday with one contract dropping below $30 a barrel for the first time in a dozen years, triggering further job cuts and fears that the rout has further to run.

開年以來沉重打擊油價的無情拋售週二繼續上演，美國石油期貨價格12年來首次跌破30美元/桶，導致更多的裁員以及對油價進一步下跌的擔憂。

As traders bet on lower prices, Brent crude fell nearly 4 per cent to $30.34 a barrel, extending losses over the first seven trading sessions of 2016 to 18.6 per cent.

由於交易商押注油價還會下跌，布倫特原油(Brent crude)下跌近4%，至30.34美元/桶，使得2016年頭7個交易日的累計跌幅擴大至18.6%。

On the other side of the Atlantic, West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, dropped as much as 4.7 per cent to $29.93 — the first time below $30 in 12 years.

大西洋的另一邊，美國原油基準西德克薩斯中質原油(West Texas Intermediate)下跌多達4.7%，至29.93美元/桶——12年來首次跌破30美元。

“Oil continues to trade as if 2016 was the year of the Bear rather than Monkey,” said analysts at Citi.

花旗(Citi)分析師表示：“2016年的石油交易使得今年更像熊年，而非猴年。”

As prices fell BP announced it will cut 4,000 jobs across its exploration and production business globally, including 600 at its North Sea operations, as the Energy industry’s biggest players struggle to shore up revenues.

由於油價下跌，英國石油(BP)宣佈將在全球範圍內裁減勘探與生產業務人員4000人，包括北海油田的600名員工。石油業的各大公司都在艱難地維持收入。

“Oil markets have 2016 poorly. An exceptionally warm start to the winter...栠愀猀 worsened the existing supply glut,” said analysts at Energy Aspects, a consultancy. “Meanwhile, rising macro concerns, due to the rout in Chinese stock markets and slowing US growth, are adding fuel to the fire.”

“2016年石油市場開局不佳。異常溫暖的冬季……加劇了已有的供應過剩，”諮詢公司Energy Aspects的分析師說，“與此同時，中國股市暴跌以及美國增長放緩帶來的不斷增多的宏觀經濟擔憂更是火上加油。”

Concerns about China’s economy, whose growth led a surge in global oil demand over the past decade, has added to concerns about a persistent supply glut that has pushed oil prices down by 70 per cent over the past 18 months.

過去10年，中國經濟增長帶動了全球石油需求激增，而對中國經濟的關注加劇了人們對石油持續供應過剩的擔憂，這已導致油價在過去18個月下跌70%。

Energy Aspects believes global oil demand ground to a halt in November 2015, and fell in December for the first time in 13 months.

Energy Aspects認爲，全球石油需求增長在2015年11月陷入停滯，並在12月出現了13個月以來的首次萎縮。

Demand was one of the few positives in the oil market last year as motorists enjoyed the benefit of lower prices at the pump. It is also one of the factors Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies in Opec are banking on rebalance a market that is oversupplied by at least 1m barrels day.

隨着車主在加油站享受更低價格的實惠，需求成爲去年石油市場爲數不多的積極因素之一。這也是沙特阿拉伯及其在歐佩克(Opec)的海灣盟國寄望於促使市場再平衡的因素之一，目前石油市場每日的過剩供應至少達到100萬桶。