The US Federal Reserve is shifting its focus to its first interest rate rise after ending an era of unprecedented asset purchases.
美联储(Fed)在结束空前的资产购买时期后,正将注意力转向首次加息。
In a marked change of language, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee highlighted an improvement in the US labour market. Dropping its previous view that there was “significant under utilisation” of labour resources it said instead that this was “gradually diminishing”.
负责制定利率的联邦公开市场委员会(Federal Open Market Committee)的声明措辞发生明显变化,强调美国劳动力市场出现好转。该委员会放弃了之前的观点,即劳动力资源“利用率显著不足”,而是表示这种情况正“逐渐减少”。
It marks a big shift in the Fed’s horizons away from aggressive monetary stimulus via its third round of asset purchases – QE3 – and towards the need for an eventual rise in interest rates from their current level close to zero.
这标志着美联储的注意力发生巨大转变,从通过第三轮资产购买计划(QE3)实施大规模货币刺激,转向利率最终需要从目前接近于零的水平上调。
The Fed voted for the statement by a majority of 9-1. The dissenter was not one of the “hawks” but Narayana Kocherlakota of the Minneapolis Fed, a “dove”, who wanted the Fed to commit to a longer period of low rates.
美联储以9票对1票的绝对优势支持这一声明。投反对票的并非“鹰派”之一,而是鸽派——明尼阿波利斯联储银行(Minneapolis Fed)行长那拉亚纳•柯薛拉柯塔(Narayana Kocherlakota),他希望美联储承诺在更长时期维持低利率。
The statement shows the Fed has shrugged off a bout of market turmoil and concerns about the global economy. It noted, however, that “market-based measures of inflation expectations have declined somewhat”, a sign of continued concern.
这一声明显示,美联储没有理会一波市场动荡以及有关全球经济的担忧。不过声明指出,“衡量通胀预期的基于市场的指标有所下降”,表明美联储继续对此感到担忧。
The Fed kept its forecast of low rates for a “considerable time”, but explicitly tied the start of that period to this month, and inserted an escape clause to allow for earlier rate rises if the economy improves faster than expected.
美联储继续预测,低利率将保持“相当长一段时间”,但明确将这段时期的起始点与本月联系在一起,并加入一条例外条款:如果经济改善速度快于预期,将考虑提前加息。
As expected, the Fed completed the taper of its last $15bn-a-month in asset purchases.
美联储一如预期地结束了缩减过程,终止其最后的每月150亿美元的资产购买计划。
It began its third round of quantitative easing in September 2012 when it pledged to buy $85bn of long-term assets every month until there was a substantial improvement in the jobs market.
2012年9月,美联储开始推出第三轮量化宽松政策,当时美联储承诺将每月购买850亿美元的长期资产,直到就业市场出现重大改善。
The Fed began to taper last December and the pace of purchases was down to $15bn-a-month ahead of this meeting.
去年12月,美联储开始缩减这一购买计划,在此次利率会议之前资产购买规模降至每月150亿美元。