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soft (in this context)

English translation: sluggish, slow, dull, down

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:soft (in this context)
Selected answer:sluggish, slow, dull, down
Entered by: Laura Vinti

19:34 Mar 15, 2004
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Economics
English term or phrase: soft (in this context)
Last week’s ***soft*** employment number and our economists’ new view that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to tighten interest rates until December have important implications for the fixed income markets

Does it mean here "weak"?
Thanks!
Laura Vinti
United States
Local time: 01:35
sluggish, slow, dull, down
Explanation:
In a way "yes", but you may need to keep following in mind. When "soft" is used in this context, it means one or all of the above.
Selected response from:

humbird
Grading comment
It was difficult to choose the most helpful answer, as they were all very helpful, but I would particularly like to thank Susan for the synonyms she provided, which helped me clarify the term.
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +4yes, in this context
Susana Galilea
4declining
Clauwolf
4sluggish, slow, dull, down
humbird
4sub-employment...
Gabriel Aramburo Siegert


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
yes, in this context


Explanation:
Source: The Collins English Dictionary © 2000 HarperCollins Publishers:

soft [sɒft]
adjective

23 (Finance) (chiefly U.S.) (of prices, a market, etc.) unstable and tending to decline



Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 00:35
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  pike
4 mins
neutral  Hacene: I agree with the definition, but not with agreeing with "weak"; noneed, you have given the right definition, but it doesn't mean weak as Laura suggested
5 mins
  -> you're welcome to post an alternative :)
agree  Alexander Demyanov: weak is a good synonim
55 mins
agree  Roddy Stegemann: Weak is a good response, but the definition is not complete. It could also mean a market that demonstrates little growth having nothing to do with either instability or decline.
5 hrs
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
16 hrs
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
declining


Explanation:
:)

Clauwolf
Local time: 02:35
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
sluggish, slow, dull, down


Explanation:
In a way "yes", but you may need to keep following in mind. When "soft" is used in this context, it means one or all of the above.

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
It was difficult to choose the most helpful answer, as they were all very helpful, but I would particularly like to thank Susan for the synonyms she provided, which helped me clarify the term.
Thank you!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
sub-employment...


Explanation:
Common in South America.

Gabriel Aramburo Siegert
Local time: 00:35
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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