The Federal Reserve has dropped its pledge to be “patient” before raising interest rates, freeing its hand to lift official borrowing costs for the first time in nearly a decade.
美联储(Fed)摒弃了在加息这件事上保持“耐心”的承诺，为将近10年来首次调高官方借贷成本松了绑。
The US central bank left its target range for short-term rates at zero to a quarter per cent, adding that it did not expect to pull the trigger on rate rises as soon as April, but opening up its options from June onward.
这家美国央行将其短期利率目标区间维持在零至0.25%不变，并表示至少今年4月还不会启动加息，但从6月起将考虑各种选项。
However, it also reduced its forecasts for growth and inflation and projections of interest rates, suggesting it may wait longer than June — the first date available for an increase.
然而，美联储同时也下调了其对经济增长和通胀的预测以及其利率展望，暗示可能等到6月以后再行动——6月是首个可考虑加息的月份。
In a statement, the Federal Open Market Committee said it anticipated lifting rates when it had seen further improvement in the labour market and was “reasonably confident” that inflation would move back to its 2 per cent target over the medium term. But this new language did not mean the committee had made up its mind when to raise rates the statement added.
联邦公开市场委员会(FOMC)在声明中称，它预计的加息时点是，当它看到劳动力市场进一步改善、且它对中期通胀率回升到2%的目标“相当有信心”时。但声明补充称，这种新措辞并不意味着FOMC已就何时加息下定决心。
The biggest market reaction was seen in US equities, where the broad S&P 500 index erased losses to advance 1.1 per cent. Investors bought up US Treasuries, pushing yields on the benchmark 10-year note 6 basis points lower and back below 2 per cent.
对这一变化反应最强烈的市场是美国股市，标普500指数(S&P 500 index)抹去全部跌幅并上涨了1.1%。投资者买进美国国债，将基准的10年期国债的收益率推低6个基点，使之回到2%以下。
The move came in the most hotly anticipated Fed meeting since Janet Yellen took the chair of the central bank more than a year ago.
自一年多前珍妮特•耶伦(Janet Yellen)接任美联储主席以来，此次会议是外界最热切期待的一次美联储会议。
The dollar has been trading at multiyear highs against a range of currencies, partly in anticipation of higher borrowing costs in the US after six years of near-zero rates, but also as some two dozen other central banks have eased policy this year.
美元兑一系列货币的汇率正处于数年来的高点，部分原因是外界预期美国实行了6年的近零利率后将会调高借贷成本，而世界其他地方的20多家央行今年放松了货币政策也是原因之一。
These gains have sparked concerns that the US economic growth outlook could be dented as exports sag, and that the Fed’s inflation expectations could be shaved back. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned that rate rises could trigger instability in emerging markets, while hedge fund manager Ray Dalio warned of the risk of a 1937-style stock market slump when it finally raises rates.
美元走强引发了人们对美国经济增长前景可能会受出口下滑拖累、以及美联储通胀预期可能会回调的担忧。国际货币基金组织(IMF)总裁克里斯蒂娜•拉加德(Christine Lagarde)警告称，美国加息可能会引发新兴市场的不稳定。与此同时，对冲基金经理雷•戴利奥(Ray Dalio)警告称，美联储最终开始加息时，可能会引发1937年式的股市大跌。
The statement did not mention the dollar explicitly, but Fed rate-setters reduced their growth and inflation outlook, as well as their expectations for the pace at which rates would be increased. They also reduced their estimates for unemployment as job growth continues to defy expectations.
此次的声明并未明确提及美元，但美联储的利率制定者调低了他们对经济增长和通胀的预期、以及他们对加息步伐的展望。随着就业增长继续跑赢预期，他们还下调了对失业率的预期。
Ms Yellen had on February 24 paved the way for the “patience” pledge to be ditched, as she sought to give the FOMC a freer hand to change rates. The vow committed the FOMC to holding rates unchanged for at least two meetings. This would have ruled out increases in June if it had been reiterated today.
2月24日，耶伦已为摒弃“耐心”承诺铺平了道路，她试图让FOMC能够更自由地放手调整利率。“耐心”承诺确保了FOMC至少会在两次会议上维持利率不变。本次会议的声明中若再出现这个字眼，将排除掉6月加息的可能性。
In new projections, FOMC members reduced their growth outlooks for 2015, 2016 and 2017, with the central tendency for 2015 reduced to 2.3-2.7 per cent from 2.6-3 per cent.
在新的展望中，FOMC成员下调了他们对2015年、2016年及2017年经济增长的预期，2015年增长的“中间趋势”(central tendency)由2.6%至3%调低到2.3%至2.7%。