Unusual explicitness from Japan's new leaders has helped convince the market they are serious about weakening the yen to revive the nation's embattled exporters, but such moves threaten to complicate Tokyo's relations with the U.S. and other major trading partners.
日本新任领导人不同寻常的直白已经从一个方面让市场相信他们真的要通过削弱日圆汇率来恢复出口企业的活力,但这类措施有可能让日本同美国等主要贸易伙伴的关系复杂化。
Many central banks, including others in Asia as well as in Latin America, have been trying to keep their currencies from becoming too strong after the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank adopted super-loose monetary policies that have suppressed their currencies.
在美联储(Federal Reserve)和欧洲央行(European Central Bank)采取超宽松货币政策压低了美元和欧元的汇率之后,包括亚洲和拉美国家在内的很多央行已经在采取措施防止本币升值幅度过大。
Confronted by weakening domestic growth, nations around the world are trying to support their economies by boosting exports. Weaker currencies make a country's exports cheaper. Japan's latest signals mark a bid to help its exporters as the yen faces upward pressure from investors fleeing trouble spots.
面对国内经济增长日趋乏力的局面,世界各国都在努力通过提高出口来支撑经济。本币贬值会让一个国家的出口产品变得更加便宜。日本最近发出的信号说明,它想在日圆因投资者逃离麻烦缠身的国家而面临升值压力的时候帮助出口企业。
Senior Japanese officials, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have signaled they are determined to keep the dollar above 85 yen through further monetary easing and other bold measures.
以首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)为首的日本高级官员曾发出信号,他们决心通过进一步放松货币政策以及其他一些大胆措施,让美元的汇率维持在85日圆以上。
The dollar broke above 86 yen after Asian markets closed Thursday, hitting a 28-month high of 86.16 yen. The yen has since regained some ground, capitalizing on its status as a haven, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) warned the U.S. may go over the fiscal cliff. At Thursday's peak, the dollar had climbed about 11% this quarter.
周四亚洲市场收盘后,美元突破86日圆,升至86.16日圆,达到28个月新高。后来,在美国参议院多数党领袖、内华达州民主党人士里德(Harry Reid)发出美国可能跌落“财政悬崖的警示之后,日圆借助其避险地位回补了一部分跌幅。按周四的峰值计算,美元本季度已经升值11%左右。
Mr. Abe made more-aggressive policy one of the centerpieces of his winning election campaign, and analysts and investors say he has been so successful that there could be copycats among other nations looking to see a similar result.
安倍晋三曾将提高政策力度列为竞选期间的核心诉求之一。分析师和投资者说,看到安倍晋三取得的成功,其他希望看到类似结果的国家可能也会效仿。
'This is another salvo in what you might call the global currency war,' said Richard Franulovich, a senior currency strategist with Westpac Banking in New York. 'Abe has taken a radical approach and people are learning from that lesson.'
西太平洋银行(Westpac Bank)驻纽约高级外汇策略师弗拉努诺维奇(Richard Franulovich)说,这是新的一场混战,可以说是全球货币战争;安倍晋三采用了一种激进的策略,人们都在借鉴这一经验。
The yen's weakening has the potential to ripple across Asia, as other economies look to follow suit. Unlike decades past, Japanese manufacturers directly compete with neighboring economies such as South Korea, Taiwan and China on high-end electronic, automotive and industrial goods. That dynamic could force Japan's neighbors to suppress their currencies.
随着其他经济体寻求跟进,日圆走弱可能会波及整个亚洲。和过去几十年不一样的是,现在日本的高端电子产品、汽车和工业产品是跟韩国、台湾和中国大陆等邻近经济体直接竞争。这种情势有可能逼迫日本的邻国压低本币汇率。
In the case of China, any signs it is intensifying efforts to keep a cap on the yuan could resurrect tensions between Washington and Beijing over the currency issue, which had subsided in recent months. A China move would also be more broadly felt by its emerging-market competitors in places such as Latin America and Southeast Asia.
如果有迹象表明中国正在加大控制人民币汇率的力度,那么华盛顿和北京围绕汇率问题的矛盾就有可能在消停了几个月之后重燃。中国压制人民币汇率产生的影响也会被它在拉丁美洲和东南亚等地区的新兴市场竞争对手感觉到。
In South Korea, which is wrestling with a surge in the won this year, the country's central bank was particularly blunt Thursday, saying it said it would prioritize economic recovery when it reviews its official interest rate each month.
今年韩国面临着韩圆的大幅升值。韩国央行周四尤其坦白地说,在每月举行的官方利率评议会上,它将把经济复苏作为首要考虑的事情。
Other countries in recent years -- including Israel and Switzerland -- have taken strong action to prevent their currencies from strengthening too much and hurting exporters. Brazil stoked international tensions two years ago by complaining of a 'currency war,' blaming the U.S., Europe and China and others for pushing their currencies lower to boost their competitiveness. Leaders in those regions have said they are only trying to support their own economies.
包括以色列和瑞士在内的其他国家曾在近几年采取强硬措施防止本币升值幅度过大、从而伤害到出口企业。巴西两年前发出了“货币战争的抱怨,指责美国、欧洲、中国和其他方面压低本币汇率来提高竞争力,此举加剧了国际紧张气氛。这些地区的领导人则说,他们只是想支撑自己的经济。
Australia has also been wrestling with the impact of a high currency. The Australian dollar breached $1.10 in July 2011 -- the first time since it was floated in 1983 -- and has remained at elevated levels despite a weakening in commodity prices. This sharp run higher has hurt the nation's manufacturing, education and tourism industries.
澳大利亚也一直饱受汇率高企的冲击。2011年7月澳元对美元汇率突破1.10美元的水平,为1983年澳大利亚实现汇率浮动以来的第一次。之后虽然大宗商品价格走弱,澳元汇率还是维持在较高水平。澳元大幅升值打击了澳大利亚的制造业、教育业和旅游业。
In Japan, however, the sharp moves in the dollar-yen exchange rate have drawn cheers from domestic manufacturers.
但在日本,美元对日圆汇率的大幅变动却引起国内制造业的欢呼。
A weak yen is 'good news' for Japanese firms and could have 'a significant impact' on their bottom lines, said Tadashi Okamura, head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a major business organization.
重要商业团体日本商工会议所(Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry)的主席冈村正(Tadashi Okamura)说,日圆走弱对日本企业是好消息,可能会对它们的收益产生重要影响。
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