Practice English with NewsPractice with News
Business140 words1 min read

Banco do Brasil's Profit Rises, but Farm Loans Worry Investors

a pile of ten hundred dollar bills sitting on top of each other
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Listen to the story

Banco do Brasil is a big bank in Brazil. It is also called BB.

BB said its profit went up. Profit is the money a company makes.

The bank's loan book got better. A loan is money the bank gives to people or farmers to pay back later.

BB has fewer bad loans now. A bad loan is money that people cannot pay back.

But there is a problem. Many farmers cannot pay back their loans. This is the agro sector. Agro means farming.

The market is worried about this. Market means investors and people who buy shares.

BB's profit was higher than experts thought. But the bank's shares still went down. A share is a small part of a company that people can buy.

The shares fell by 3%. This shows some investors are still worried about farm loans.

Vocabulary15 words

Banco do Brasil
a big bank in Brazil
profit
the money a company makes
loan
money given that must be paid back later
agro
farming business
market
people who buy and sell shares
shares
small parts of a company people can buy
inadimplĂȘncia
when people cannot pay back money
strategy
a plan to reach a goal
bank
a place that keeps and lends money
investor
a person who buys shares to make money
sector
a part of business, like farming
top
the best or highest place
projection
a guess about the future
fall
to go down
worry
to feel scared about something

Quiz

1. What happened to Banco do Brasil's profit?
2. What is the market worried about?
3. What happened to BB's shares after the profit news?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

BB is a big _____ in Brazil.

BB said its _____ went up.

The bank's _____ book got better.

BB has fewer _____ loans now.

Many farmers cannot pay back their _____.

This is the _____ sector.

The _____ is worried about this.

BB's profit was higher than _____ thought.

But the bank's _____ still went down.

The shares fell by _____%.

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