耶伦:或将渐进式加息

 　　WASHINGTON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said Friday that she expected an increase in the target range for the federal funds rate to be warranted later this year, and the pace for the rate hike would likely be gradual.

　　In a speech prepared for a research conference sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Yellen said most of the Fed officials believed the appropriate time to begin the rate hike has not yet arrived, but they expected that conditions may warrant an increase sometime this year.

　　U.S. economy has recovered from the financial crisis at a slow pace, but there has been significant cumulative¹ progress. The unemployment rate has fallen to 5.5 percent now from 10 percent at its peak; consumer spending remains² robust³ thanks to strong labor⁴ market and low energy prices.

　　U.S. Fed to start rate hike this year but at gradual pace: Yellen

　　Yellen expected the real gross domestic product likely to expand faster than its potential in coming quarters, thereby⁵ promoting further gains in employment and declines in the unemployment rate.

　　But the central banker also pointed⁶ out some headwinds for the economy. Involuntary part-time employment remains high; labor force participation⁷ is still lower than expected; wage growth continues to be subdued⁸; dollar appreciation⁹ appears to be restraining net exports; low oil prices are prompting a cutback in driving activity; and the recovery in residential¹⁰ construction remains subdued.

　　Inflation, an indicator¹¹ for Fed in deciding monetary¹² policy, has been below the central bank's 2 percent target for years. The weakness in inflation likely reflects continuing slack in labor and product markets, as well as the sharp decline in energy prices.

　　With labor markets continuing to improve further, the inflation will gradually move up, Yellen said. According to the chairperson, Fed official anticipated that a rather gradual rise in the interest rate will be appropriate over the next few years, as the headwinds holding back growth are likely to continue to abate¹³ gradually.

　　Yellen also stressed the pace of rate hike will not follow a set schedule. Instead, the actual path of policy will evolve as economic conditions evolve and policy tightening¹⁴ could speed up, slow down, pause or even reverse course depending on economic developments, she said.

　　The Fed signaled in its March statement that it was moving a step closer toward raising rates, though the central bank cut its economic outlook and slashed¹⁵ its estimate for the federal funds rate, in a sign that it was prepared to move more slowly than the market expected.

1 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

8 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

9 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

10 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

11 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

12 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

13 abate   

vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退

参考例句：

• We must abate the noise pollution in our city.我们必须消除我们城里的噪音污染。
• The doctor gave him some medicine to abate the powerful pain.医生给了他一些药，以减弱那剧烈的疼痛。

14 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

15 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》