THE LANGUAGE OF FALLING MARKETS

Stock markets around the world have recently fallen sharply as a result of the financial crisis and fears of a world recession.
In spite of short-lived rebounds the downward trend continues with some shares plummeting to new lows.
There is no shortage of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to describe bear markets: to/a decline; to/a decrease; to/a tumble; to/a fall; to/a plunge; to be down; to/a fall; to/a drop, among other terms can all be employed to describe downward movements, not only in stocks and shares, but also in profits, consumer confidence, sales, temperatures, production, (un)employment, crime and so on.
The degree or speed of the fall can be specified by using the following adjectives/adverbs* : slight/slightly (small); steady/steadily (regular); sharp/sharply or steep/steeply (large) and dramatic/dramatically.
*These can equally be used to refer to upward trends

It remains to be seen how much further the markets will fall. Indeed, it seems that the bottom has fallen out of the markets, with some companies' shares almost worthless. Investors are hoping that the markets will soon bottom out, although few expect a recovery (vb. to recover) in the near future.

VIDEO : THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

Watch the following video and listen out for the key vocabulary listed below.

to take steps
to shore up
unveiling (to unveil)
stakes
to follow suit
objectionable
crafting these plans (to craft)
a rescue package
home-owners
to avoid foreclosure
to the tune of
a downturn
to issue letters of credit
rebounded on news of ... (to rebound)
to abandon optimism

THE LANGUAGE OF FINANCIAL CRISES

The severity of the current financial crisis is reflected in the language employed to describe the events that have unfolded over the past few weeks. The Financial Times, reporting on a European initiative to protect European banks, explains that 'the idea is to help bail out banks, not mop up toxic assets...It comes as governments on both sides of the Atlantique scramble to find ways to contain unprecedented stress in the global financial system.'

The FT also reports that the crisis is hitting other sectors of the economy : 'Manufacturers feel the pinch as woes spread from banking crisis'. The paper explains that governments are determined to shore up the global financial system which is undermined by 'a crisis of confidencethat has paralysed the interbank money market'.

The financial crisis has already taken a heavy toll, leading to 'a string of failures of weak financial institutions' and 'threatens to cause a full-blown credit crunch'