2020-04-23-Too much oil: how a barrel came to be worth less than nothing

Something bizarre happened in the oil markets on Monday: Prices fell so much so that traders paid buyers to take oil off their hands.

周一的原油市场发生了另令想不透的事情，油价跌到原油商向采购商付钱来摆脱原油。

周一，石油市场发生了一件异乎寻常的事：油价暴跌，以至于一些卖家倒贴钱给买家，以摆脱手中的石油。

The price of the main U.S. oil benchmark fell more than 50usd a barrel to end the day about 30usd below zero, the first time oil prices have ever turned negative. Such an eye-popping slide underscores the industry's disarray as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the world economy.

美国主要基准油价每桶下跌50多美元，收于每桶约负30美元，这是原油价格首次跌至负值。如此令人瞠目的暴跌是石油市场的反常现象所致，但在新冠疫情摧毁世界经济之际，这突显了石油行业的混乱。

Demand for oil is collapsing and despite a deal by Saudi Arabia, Russia and other nations to cut production, the world is running out of places to put all the oil the industry keeps pumping out -about 100 million barrels a day. At the start of the year, oil sold for over 60usd a barrel but by Friday it hit about 20USD.

对石油的需求正在崩溃，尽管沙特阿拉伯、俄罗斯等国已达成减产协议，但世界上恐将没有足够的地方储存石油行业源源不断的产出——日产约1亿桶石油。今年年初，原油曾以每桶60多美元的价格出售，但到上周五，油价已触及每桶20美元左右。

Prices went negative-meaning that anyone trying to sell a barrel would have to pay a buyer 30usd-In part because of the way oil is traded. Futures contracts that require buyers to take possessions of oil in May are expired Tuesday, and nobody wanted the oil because there was no place to store it.

油价跌至负值——这意味着任何试图出售原油的人，都得向买家按每桶30美元的钱倒贴——部分原因在于原油的交易方式。要求买家于五月交割的原油期货合约将在周二到期，没人想要这些油，因为没地方储存。

Refineries are unwilling to turn oil into gasoline, diesel and other products because so few people commuting or take aeroplane flights, and international trade has slowed sharply. Oil is already being stored on barges and in any nook and cranny companies can find. One of the better parts of the oil business these days is owning storage tankers.

由于现在通勤或乘坐飞机的人很少，而且国际贸易已急剧减缓，炼油厂都不愿意把原油加工成汽油、柴油等产品。目前原油已经被储存在驳船以及石油公司能找到的各个犄角旮旯里了。如今，拥有自己的油轮，可以说是石油行业最好的事情了。

Take sth off one's hand (Get rid off sth) 摆脱什么事情 

Prices fell so much that oil traders paid buyers to take oil off their hands.

An eye-popping slide 大跌眼镜

The main U.S. oil benchmark fell about 50usd a barrel to end the day about 30usd below zero. the first time the oil prices ever turned negative. Such an eye-popping slide underscores the industry's disarray as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the world economy.

美国原油基准价格跌倒每桶50美金，收于每桶纸负30美金。这是历史以来原油价首次为负值，这一现象让人破眼镜的，在新冠状病毒损坏全球经济时，也突显了原油市场的混乱现象。