Powell Says FOMC Getting Closer to Rate Cut, But Not There Yet
Powell Says FOMC Getting Closer to Rate Cut, But Not There Yet
2:44 p.m.
下午2點44分。
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said members of the Federal Open Market Committee get the "broad sense" that the U.S. economy is getting closer to a point when policymakers could start cutting interest rates, though he was clear to stress that "we're not quite at that point yet."
聯儲局主席傑羅姆·鮑威爾表示，聯邦公開市場委員會成員“普遍感覺”美國經濟正逐漸接近政策制定者可能開始削減利率的時刻，儘管他明確強調“我們還沒有完全到達那個時刻”。
"If we were to see, for example, inflation moving down quickly or more or less in line with expectations, growth remains, let's say, reasonably strong," Powell said at a press conference after the FOMC meeting Wednesday. "And the labor market remains, you know, consistent with its current condition, then I would think that a rate cut could be on the table at September meeting."
鮑威爾在週三FOMC會議後的新聞發佈會上表示："如果我們看到通貨膨脹快速下降或更或多或少符合預期，增長保持相當強勁，並且勞動力市場保持與其當前條件一致狀態，那麼我認爲9月份可能會有減息的可能性。"
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3:07 p.m.
下午3點07分。
Powell said the timing for an interest rate cut won't be influenced by the timing of the U.S. presidential elections.
鮑威爾表示，減息的時間不會受到美國總統選舉時間的影響。
Responding to a reporter's question whether a September rate cut would remain an apolitical decision, Powell stressed that no decision has yet been made to start reducing the interest rate that month.
在回答記者有關9月份是否仍將出台減息舉措時，鮑威爾強調，尚未做出在該月開始降低利率的決定。
"First of all, we haven't made any decisions," Powell said. "Congress has ordered us to conduct our business in a non-political way at all times."
鮑威爾說："首先，我們還沒有做出任何決定。" "國會要求我們在任何時候以非政治方式開展業務。"
"We never use our tools to support or oppose the political party, a politician, or any political outcome," he said.
他說：“我們從不利用我們的工具來支持或反對政黨、政治家或任何政治結果。”
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3 p.m.
下午3點
Powell cited the difficult challenge in judging the right timing for policymakers to start cutting interest rates.
鮑威爾提到，判斷政策制定者開始降低利率的正確時機是一個困難的挑戰。
"We have to worry about that," Powell said. "Just to make it clear, it is a difficult challenge in judgment. We do want to go too soon. We don't want to go too late. But that's -- this is how we've made that judgment. I feel good about where we are."
鮑威爾說：“我們必須擔心這一點。要明確一點，判斷是一個困難的挑戰。我們不想太早行動，也不想太晚行動。但這是我們做出該判斷的方式。我對我們目前的狀態感到滿意。”
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2:57 p.m.
下午2點57分。
Powell said inflation is probably a little farther from its target than employment, as he cited signs of cooling in the labor market.
鮑威爾表示，通脹可能比就業離目標還要遠一些，他提到勞工市場出現了冷卻的跡象。
"I think the downside risk to the employment mandate are real now," Powell said. "As inflation has come down, I think the upside risks to inflation has decreased as the labor market has cooled off. "
鮑威爾說：“我認爲就業目標面臨的下行風險現在是真實存在的。隨着通脹率下降，隨着勞動力市場降溫，我認爲通脹率的上行風險已經減少了。”