In this assignment we want to examine the different ways that texts use the word "market" and then look at the markets themselves.

For the first part look for several (at least six) short examples (about one sentence) of language that seems to humanise markets, making them appear to have thoughts or emotions. Cut and paste the example into your answer text, and then write underneath a short explanation of what this "really" means. You can find examples by going first to http://news.google.com/ and then searching for "markets", or else by combining "markets" with words such as

Cheer, optimistic, nervous, alarmed, worry, worried, love, concerned, afraid, fear, happy,anxious or calm, fear anxious or calm".

Find more words by searching for synonyms. Many good examples can be found in headlines. Read the first part of the following text to figure out what the headline should mean.

Example:
"Strength here continues as the world's markets continue to cheer Beijing's decision to let the yuan float in a broader range ."
Asian stock markets rose after investors learned that the Chinese yuan would be allowed to move more on currency markets.

Note that you can include one of these texts in your "active reading" assignment for the week.