英格蘭銀行首席經(jīng)濟學(xué)家休·皮爾說,英國人需要接受他們變窮了的事實,而不是在通貨膨脹急劇上升、生活水平出現(xiàn)歷史性下降后仍然試圖挽回。
皮爾周二在《超越史無前例》(Beyond Unprecedented)播客上接受采訪時說:“部分英國人需要接受自己變窮了的事實,不要再試圖通過抬高價格來維持自己的實際消費能力了,不管是通過提高工資還是將能源成本轉(zhuǎn)嫁給消費者。”
他說,企業(yè)和工人都在玩“傳遞負(fù)擔(dān)的游戲”,因而導(dǎo)致價格壓力居高不下,英國的主要通脹率仍然困在兩位數(shù)高位。
這番話暴露了政策制定者在抑制價格壓力方面面臨的挑戰(zhàn)。加息削弱了家庭的消費能力,擠壓了企業(yè)的利潤率,引
發(fā)了與開展罷工要求加薪的工人們之間的沖突。
盡管這番言論與英國央行官員過去一年的立場并無二致,但皮爾更加直言不諱,暗示工人必須承擔(dān)更多負(fù)擔(dān)。正是出于這一點,英國央行與公共部門成千上萬名對政府限薪政策感到憤怒的職員產(chǎn)生了沖突。
去年,英國央行行長安德魯?貝利警告工會需要緩和漲薪要求,因而遭到工會的指責(zé)。就在上個月27日,他還說物價上漲“讓我們國家變得更窮”,回避了誰應(yīng)該承受損失的微妙問題。
皮爾則更為直接。他說,人們“不愿意接受這個事實,那就是,我們都變窮了,我們必須承擔(dān)自己的那一份責(zé)任?!本o張的就業(yè)市場和強大的企業(yè)定價權(quán)意味著企業(yè)可以通過提高定價來轉(zhuǎn)嫁成本,工人可以要求加薪,因而進(jìn)一步推高通貨膨脹。
皮爾說:“英國是一個天然氣凈進(jìn)口大國,我們現(xiàn)在面臨的情況是,相較于向世界其他地區(qū)售出的東西的價格,英國從世界上其他地區(qū)買入的東西價格上漲了很多,而英國出口的主要是服務(wù)?!?/p>
“如果你買的東西比你賣的東西價格漲了很多,你就會變窮?!?/p>
他的言論和英國央行副總裁布羅德本特周二的講話,是貨幣政策委員會在下次利率決策會議之前計劃中最后一次露面。這個由九人組成的委員會正在考慮是否進(jìn)行第12次連續(xù)加息。在過去的一年半里,英國央行將借貸成本從不到1%提高到了4.25%。
市場押注未來幾個月將繼續(xù)加息,因為此前3月份人們意料之外的超高通脹數(shù)據(jù)引發(fā)了人們對價格壓力持續(xù)加劇的擔(dān)憂。
皮爾重申了英國央行的官方預(yù)測,他說,導(dǎo)致通脹居高不下的一些壓力因素可能會在未來幾個月消散,未來幾年通脹可能會跌破2%的目標(biāo)。
他還說,使英國遭受通脹打擊的一些因素是“暫時的”,他再次使用了這個有爭議的詞,兩年前,央行行長們正是用“暫時的”這個說法來推遲加息。
“我們經(jīng)歷了一系列通脹沖擊,一個接著一個?!彼f,“每一次沖擊本身都是短暫的,但它們接踵而至,導(dǎo)致通脹一直沒有消散。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Agatha
英格蘭銀行首席經(jīng)濟學(xué)家休·皮爾說,英國人需要接受他們變窮了的事實,而不是在通貨膨脹急劇上升、生活水平出現(xiàn)歷史性下降后仍然試圖挽回。
皮爾周二在《超越史無前例》(Beyond Unprecedented)播客上接受采訪時說:“部分英國人需要接受自己變窮了的事實,不要再試圖通過抬高價格來維持自己的實際消費能力了,不管是通過提高工資還是將能源成本轉(zhuǎn)嫁給消費者?!?/p>
他說,企業(yè)和工人都在玩“傳遞負(fù)擔(dān)的游戲”,因而導(dǎo)致價格壓力居高不下,英國的主要通脹率仍然困在兩位數(shù)高位。
這番話暴露了政策制定者在抑制價格壓力方面面臨的挑戰(zhàn)。加息削弱了家庭的消費能力,擠壓了企業(yè)的利潤率,引發(fā)了與開展罷工要求加薪的工人們之間的沖突。
盡管這番言論與英國央行官員過去一年的立場并無二致,但皮爾更加直言不諱,暗示工人必須承擔(dān)更多負(fù)擔(dān)。正是出于這一點,英國央行與公共部門成千上萬名對政府限薪政策感到憤怒的職員產(chǎn)生了沖突。
去年,英國央行行長安德魯?貝利警告工會需要緩和漲薪要求,因而遭到工會的指責(zé)。就在上個月27日,他還說物價上漲“讓我們國家變得更窮”,回避了誰應(yīng)該承受損失的微妙問題。
皮爾則更為直接。他說,人們“不愿意接受這個事實,那就是,我們都變窮了,我們必須承擔(dān)自己的那一份責(zé)任?!本o張的就業(yè)市場和強大的企業(yè)定價權(quán)意味著企業(yè)可以通過提高定價來轉(zhuǎn)嫁成本,工人可以要求加薪,因而進(jìn)一步推高通貨膨脹。
皮爾說:“英國是一個天然氣凈進(jìn)口大國,我們現(xiàn)在面臨的情況是,相較于向世界其他地區(qū)售出的東西的價格,英國從世界上其他地區(qū)買入的東西價格上漲了很多,而英國出口的主要是服務(wù)?!?/p>
“如果你買的東西比你賣的東西價格漲了很多,你就會變窮?!?/p>
他的言論和英國央行副總裁布羅德本特周二的講話,是貨幣政策委員會在下次利率決策會議之前計劃中最后一次露面。這個由九人組成的委員會正在考慮是否進(jìn)行第12次連續(xù)加息。在過去的一年半里,英國央行將借貸成本從不到1%提高到了4.25%。
市場押注未來幾個月將繼續(xù)加息,因為此前3月份人們意料之外的超高通脹數(shù)據(jù)引發(fā)了人們對價格壓力持續(xù)加劇的擔(dān)憂。
皮爾重申了英國央行的官方預(yù)測,他說,導(dǎo)致通脹居高不下的一些壓力因素可能會在未來幾個月消散,未來幾年通脹可能會跌破2%的目標(biāo)。
他還說,使英國遭受通脹打擊的一些因素是“暫時的”,他再次使用了這個有爭議的詞,兩年前,央行行長們正是用“暫時的”這個說法來推遲加息。
“我們經(jīng)歷了一系列通脹沖擊,一個接著一個?!彼f,“每一次沖擊本身都是短暫的,但它們接踵而至,導(dǎo)致通脹一直沒有消散。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Agatha
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said the British people need to accept they are poorer instead of seeking to claw back a historic drop in living standards after a jump in inflation.
“Somehow in the UK, someone needs to accept that they’re worse off and stop trying to maintain their real spending power by bidding up prices, whether higher wages or passing the energy costs through onto customers,” Pill said in an interview streamed Tuesday on the “Beyond Unprecedented” podcast.
He said that firms and workers are in a “pass the parcel game” that’s causing more persistent price pressures, contributing to the UK’s main inflation rate remaining stuck in double digits.
The remarks laid bare the challenge that policy makers face in curbing price pressures. Raising interest rates has sapped the spending power of households and squeezed corporate profit margins, stoking conflict with workers who are striking to demand higher pay.
While the comment reiterated a line officials at the BOE have said for the past year, Pill’s words were more blunt in suggesting that workers must shoulder more of the burden. That puts the BOE in conflict with thousands of public sector workers angry at the government over its decision to restrain pay.
BOE Governor Andrew Bailey was rebuked last year by trade unions for warning that they need to moderate pay demands. As recently as March 27, he said rising prices “has made us poorer as a country,” sidestepping the delicate issue of who should suffer.
Pill was more direct. He said there’s a “reluctance to accept that yes, we’re all worse off and we all have to take our share.” A tight jobs market and strong corporate pricing power means that firms can pass on costs in higher prices and workers can demand wage increases, fueling inflation further.
“The UK, which is a big net importer of natural gas, is facing a situation that the price of what you’re buying from the rest of the world has gone up a lot, relative to the price of what you’re selling to the rest of the world, which is mainly services in the case of the UK,” Pill said.
“If what you’re buying has gone up a lot relative to what you’re selling, you’re going to be worse off.”
His comments along with a speech by BOE Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent earlier on Tuesday are the final scheduled appearances from Monetary Policy Committee the next rates decision. The nine-member panel is weighing weather to push through a 12th consecutive rate hike after raising borrowing costs from less than 1% to 4.25% in the past 1 1/2 years.
Markets are betting on continued hikes in the coming months after a surprisingly strong inflation reading in March stoked fears of more persistent price pressures.
Pill, reiterating the BOE’s official forecast, said some of the pressures keeping inflation high are likely to dissipate in the coming months and that inflation may dip below the 2% target in the next few years.
He also said that some elements of the inflation hitting the UK are “transitory,” reviving a word controversially used by central bankers to delay interest rate increases two years ago.
“We’ve had a series of inflation shocks that just come one after the other,” he said. “Each of those shocks was in itself transitory, but they just were timed in a way that inflation never dissipated.