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82,82
wobble ['wɔbl]
n.摆动, 动摇, 不稳定
vi.摇晃, 游移不定
vt.使摇晃, 使动摇
whopping ['wɔpiŋ]
adj. 巨大的, 天大的
contractionary
adj. 主张经济紧缩的, 主张经济收缩的
usher in
开辟;创始;宣告…的来临, 引进
unwind ['ʌn'waind]
v.解开, 松开, 放松
sluggish ['slʌgiʃ]
adj.缓慢的, 懒惰的, 迟钝的, 萧条的,无精打采的
into a corner
陷入了困境
in the sense that
在某种意义上说,
eat into
腐蚀, 耗费
come due
到期
The most important thing concerned when making economic policies is to avoid economic recession. Interest rate keeps going down, resulting in a series of debt-financed asset bubbles. Fiscal stimulus and QE are used to fix the policy when bubbles burst.
Huge budget deficit may largely result from the downturn of tax revenue which was inflated by the debt-financed boom before. From the fiscal stimulus perspective, the deficit is a sacrifice to avoid the repeat of the Depression. But to cut the deficit, either by spending less or by taxing more, is sure to cause the contraction of the economy. It’s a dilemma for the government to cut the deficit too rapidly, which will cause greater recession; on the other hand, to boost the economy will end up with the debt keeping piling up, which will in turn increase the deficit.
From the monetary policy perspective, interest rates in most developed countries are kept very low or even negative in real terms, postponing the time of tightening the policy, for fear of ushering in another round of credit crunch.
As for QE, central banks don’t want to push it further right now, and it’s not the time to unwind the policy since the economy is still not so strong.
From the above three perspectives, governments and central banks have little room to go forward, neither do they have room to go back.
Withdrawing stimulus is risky both economically and politically. Britain’s sluggish economic growth in the second quarter prevents it from cutting deficit significantly. Governments in the rich world fall into a vicious cycle as very few options left in face of a weak economy.
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