【英语财经】专家预计美联储议息会议将保持利率不变 Fed expected to keep rates on hold

The Federal Reserve is likely to leave interest rates unchanged this week while keeping its options open for its pivotal December meeting as it assesses signs of more muted growth in the US economy.

The majority of Fed policymakers, including chair Janet Yellen, have said they expect the first upward move in the federal funds rate to happen this year, but the picture has become clouded in recent weeks because of slower hiring and a high-level policy split among the Fed’s governors.

Further complicating Fed calculations is the prospect of further stimulus by foreign central banks including the European Central Bank — something that could put added upward pressure on the dollar but also help global demand.

The Federal Open Market Committee held fire on interest rates in September because of turbulent moves in global markets and fears the Chinese authorities were struggling to keep their economy on track.

Economists surveyed by the FT universally forecast no change on Wednesday given the short passage of time since the September meeting, meaning the market’s focus is now squarely on the Fed’s final policy meeting of 2015.

美联储(Fed)本周可能会保持利率不变，同时为关键的12月会议留出选择余地。美联储正在评估美国经济增速更为乏力的迹象。

包括美联储主席珍妮特?耶伦(Janet Yellen)在内的美联储大多数政策制定者已表示，他们预测联邦基金利率的首次上调将出现在今年，但最近几周由于招聘速度放缓以及各地联储行长之间的高层政策分歧，情况变得模糊起来。

让美联储的考量进一步复杂化的是包括欧洲央行(ECB)在内的外国央行可能会继续推出刺激举措，这可能给美元带来升值压力，但也会促进全球需求。

今年9月，由于全球市场动荡以及对于中国政府难以保持经济增长的担忧，联邦公开市场委员会(Federal Open Market Committee)维持利率不变。

英国《金融时报》调查的经济学家一致预测，鉴于9月会议以来的时间不长，美联储不会在周三做出政策变动，这意味着市场现在关注着美联储2015年的最后一次政策会议。

译者/梁艳裳