是的，通脹正在下降。這並不意味著商品和服務會變得更便宜。| CNN 商業

來源：CNNNew York 纽约CNN  —

If inflation falls to 2% by the end of this year, that means the cost of everything will no longer be going up, right? Wrong. But that’s what the majority of UK residents think, according to a new survey from polling group Survation.
如果通脹在今年年底降至2％，這意味著所有物品的價格將不再上漲，對吧？錯了。但根據民意調查機構Survation的最新調查顯示，這是大多數英國居民的觀點。

What’s more, almost a third of those surveyed said they think they’ll pay less than they do now.
此外，接受調查的近三分之一的人表示，他們認為他們將支付比现在更少的費用。

It’s a common misconception that falling inflation equates to falling prices. But the two don’t always go hand in hand.
有一種常見的誤解，認為通貨膨脹下降意味著物價下降。但實際上，這兩者並不總是同步的。

Inflation is the rate at which prices for goods and services across an entire economy are rising over a given period of time. When inflation rises, it means you’ll have to spend more money to buy the same goods and services as you used to.
通脹是指在一定時間內，整個經濟體系中商品和服務的價格上升的速度。當通脹上升時，這意味著你需要花更多的錢來購買以前相同的商品和服務。

Deflation, in contrast, is when goods and services get cheaper. It means that any money you earn today will stretch even further in the future.
通常情况下，當商品和服務變得更便宜時，我們稱之為通貨緊縮。這意味這你今天所賺的錢在未來會更有價值。

China is one of the few countries that’s on the verge of experiencing deflation. Most other countries are experiencing disinflation.
中國是少數即將面臨通縮的國家之一，而大多數其他國家則正在經歷通縮趨緩。

Disinflation is when the pace of price increases slows.
通脹減緩是指物價上漲的速度放緩。

For instance, goods and services sold in the United States cost 9.1% more last June compared to June 2021. The most recent Consumer Price Index report found that prices rose by 4% compared to last year.
例如，去年6月份與2021年6月相比，美國銷售的商品和服務價格上漲了9.1%。最新的消费者物價指數報告發現，與去年相比，價格上漲了4%。

That is to say that goods and services are still more expensive than they were a year ago. But the price increases are smaller than a year ago.
換句話說，貨物和服務的價格仍然比一年前高。但是價格上漲的幅度比一年前小。

Like many central banks, including the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, the US Federal Reserve is targeting 2% annual inflation. That means global central bankers don’t actually want goods and services to get cheaper. Instead, they want prices to go up a bit more each year so that people don’t delay purchases that helps grow the economy.
就像許多中央銀行一樣，包括英格蘭銀行和歐洲央行，美國聯邦儲備系統也將年通脹目標設定為2%。這意味著全球中央銀行家實際上並不希望商品和服務變得更便宜。相反地，他們希望每年價格能稍微上漲一些，這樣人們就不會延遲購買，有助於經濟增長。

Deflation is in many ways more dangerous than inflation.
通縮在許多方面比通脹更危險。

If you think prices will go down in the future, you’re probably going to delay making a lot of purchases today. When many people start to think that way, people spend a lot less money. That causes employers to lay off workers and can put an economy into a recession.
如果你認為未来的價格會下降，那麼你很可能會推遲今天的許多購買。當許多人開始這樣思考時，人們會花费更少的錢。這會導致雇主裁員，可能使經濟陷入衰退。

It’s also a lot harder for central banks to get an economy to grow if it slips into a period of deflation versus inflation.
如果經濟陷入通缩期而非通脹期，央行要推動經濟增長就會更加困難。

Japan infamously had a period dubbed “the lost decade” from 1991 to 2001, when its economy continued to shrink as it experienced deflation. It took subsequent decades of stimulative measures to reintroduce inflation to help grow the economy.
日本在1991年至2001年間經歷了一個被稱為「失落的十年」的時期，其經濟持續萎縮並陷入通縮。經過連續幾十年的刺激措施，才重新引入通脹以促進經濟增長。

In contrast, in the United States, it has taken the Fed roughly a year to get inflation down to a level that is still double its target rate by raising interest rates.
相比之下，在美國，聯邦儲備系統花了大約一年的時間通過加息將通脹率降至仍然是其目標水平兩倍的水平。

新聞來源: CNN (#國際新聞)

原文網址:

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/20/business/inflation-vs-deflation-prices/index.html