美国央行负责人说,有越来越多的证据表明美国经济正在复苏,但是他警告说,美国的高失业率仍会持续,政府的赤字开支不能持续。
美国联邦储备委员会主席伯南克星期五在国会参议院的一次小组会议上说,看来消费者和商业开支方面的“自持复苏”稳固了下来。他说,特别值得一提的是消费者支出,它在过去六个月里持续增长。
但伯南克说,12月份的美国失业率为9.4%,居高不下的失业率可能威胁到经济复苏的力度和持续性。他说,美国1500万失业职工中现在大约有40%的人在6个月或更长时间里没有工作,这削弱了他们的技能和长期收入前景。他还警告说,不能无期限地找不到遏制美国政府赤字开支的方法。
The head of the U.S. central bank says there is “increased evidence” that the American economy is recovering, but warned that the nation’s unemployment rate will remain high and that the government’s deficit spending is “unsustainable.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a Senate panel on Friday that a “self-sustaining recovery” in consumer and business spending appears to be taking hold. He said consumer spending was particularly noteworthy since it has increased over the last six months.
But Bernanke said the nation’s persistently high unemployment rate — 9.4 percent in December — “could threaten the strength and sustainability” of the recovery. He said about 40 percent of the nation’s 15 million unemployed workers have now been out of work six months or more, eroding their skills and long-term earnings prospects.He also warned that failing to curb the national government’s deficit spending “will not be an option indefinitely.”