"THE ICK", a term popularised by Gen-Z daters, refers to the loss of romantic interest after a trifling but embarrassing behaviour(琐碎但尴尬的行为) by a crush. Admirers of American high finance may be feeling it. Ahead of the initial public offering (IPO) of SpaceX, scheduled for June 12th, Wall Street looks desperate trying to woo(追求，讨好) Elon Musk, the rocketry firm’s boss and the world’s first soon-to-be trillionaire(万亿富翁). Fidelity, an asset manager, has lowered its minimum account balance for small investors to participate in the listing from $100,000-500,000 to $2,000. Nasdaq and FTSE Russell will fast-track(快速推进，加急处理) SpaceX into their popular stock-market indices.
“令人不适感”是Z世代约会者推广的一个术语，指因暗恋对象琐碎但尴尬的行为而失去浪漫兴趣。美国高端金融的崇拜者们此刻可能正有此感。在SpaceX定于6月12日的首次公开募股（IPO）之前，华尔街显得不顾体面地拼命讨好这家火箭公司的老板、世界首位准万亿富翁埃隆·马斯克。资产管理公司富达已将小投资者参与此次上市的最低账户余额从10万至50万美元降至2000美元。纳斯达克和富时罗素将快速将SpaceX纳入其热门股票指数。
Few people are abasing(贬低，降低身份) themselves more than America’s investment bankers. Decorative spacecraft and banners fill the lobbies of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The spire of Bank of America’s midtown headquarters has been lit up in the image of a rocket in lift-off. The boss of JPMorgan Chase, who once feuded(长期不和，结仇) with SpaceX’s hot-headed(急躁的，鲁莽的) CEO, has hosted him for a chummy(亲密的，友好的) interview in front of wealthy clients.
很少有人比美国投资银行家们更自贬身份。高盛和摩根士丹利的大厅里摆满了装饰性航天器和横幅。美国银行位于中城总部大楼的尖顶被点亮成火箭升空的图案。摩根大通的老板曾与SpaceX火爆脾气的CEO有过节，如今却在一群富裕客户面前与他进行了一次亲密的访谈。
If that feels icky(令人不适的，黏糊的), what the bankers are telling investors about SpaceX’s business is cringe(难堪，令人尴尬). Goldman Sachs is said to expect revenue from SpaceX’s xAI division, today an also-ran in the artificial-intelligence race, to surge from $3bn in 2025 to $322bn in 2030.(据说，高盛预计SpaceX的xAI部门（目前在人工智能竞赛中只是陪跑者）的收入将从2025年的30亿美元飙升至2030年的3220亿美元。) Morgan Stanley apparently thinks that by 2040 SpaceX could be raking in(大量获取（钱财）) $3.4trn in sales and $2.7trn in operating profit (before depreciation and amortisation), respectively up from $19bn and $7bn last year.
如果那些行为令人不适，那么银行家们向投资者讲述的关于SpaceX业务的故事则更加难堪。据说，高盛预计SpaceX的xAI部门（目前在人工智能竞赛中只是陪跑者）的收入将从2025年的30亿美元飙升至2030年的3220亿美元。摩根士丹利显然认为，到2040年，SpaceX的年销售额将达到3.4万亿美元，营业利润（未计折旧和摊销）将达到2.7万亿美元，而去年分别只有190亿美元和70亿美元。