Labour was the first price, the original purchase money that was paid for all things.

劳动力是第一价格， 是为所有事物支付的原始购买货币。

Homeowners across America defaulted on their loans, meaning mortgage-backed securities, assets many firms had bought, were no longer worth anything close to their original purchase price.

美国各地的房主拖欠贷款，这意味着许多公司购买的抵押贷款支持证券的价值不再接近其原始购买价格。