美联储主席凯文·沃什周三表示，美联储计划在未来几年内取消部分专门用于制定利率的会议。沃什称，从明年秋季开始，央行将把每年八次会议中的一次用于审议有关经济的广泛议题，而不是用于就利率进行投票。到2028年，这一数字将增至两次。沃什是在央行发布最新政策声明后作出上述宣布的，该声明维持利率不变。
The Federal Reserve plans to eliminate some meetings devoted to setting interest rates in the next couple of years, Chairman Kevin Warsh said Wednesday. Starting next fall, the central bank will dedicate one of its eight annual meetings to considering broad-based questions about the economy, rather than to voting on interest rates, Warsh said. That number will increase to two in 2028. The chairman made the announcement following the release of the central bank’s latest policy announcement, which left rates unchanged.
他表示，这样做的理由是通过将注意力从眼前的利率环境转移开，把更多时间用于思考长期问题。“制定正确的政策，需要在及时、定期且信息丰富的间隔内评估近期形势，”他说。“但同样重要的是，作为一个思想多元的团体，我们要留出时间和空间进行战略审议，重新思考重大问题，着眼于更长的时间跨度。”沃什的宣布标志着美联储长期以来的政策日程安排发生重大调整，该日程受到全球投资者的密切关注。
He said the rationale for doing so was to devote more time to thinking about longer-term issues by shifting attention away from the immediate interest rate environment. “Getting policy right involves assessing near-term developments at timely, regular and information-rich intervals,” he said. “But it’s equally important we reserve time and space as an intellectually diverse group for strategic deliberations, for thinking anew about big questions, looking out over longer time horizons.”Warsh’s announcement marks a major shake-up for the Federal Reserve’s long-standing policy calendar, which is closely watched by investors around the world.
自1981年以来，联邦公开市场委员会每年举行八次预定会议。根据联邦公开市场委员会会议纪要，沃什在7月开始认真讨论减少制定利率的会议次数，他认为拉长利率会议之间的间隔将使委员会能够积累更多关于经济的数据。减少制定利率的会议次数长期以来一直存在争论，原因是人们担心目光短浅——但由于担心美联储对经济突发变化的反应会变得不够灵活，这一调整从未付诸实施。
The Federal Open Market Committee has held eight scheduled meetings a year since 1981. Warsh began seriously discussing a reduction in rate-setting meetings in July, according to the FOMC’s meeting minutes, arguing that a longer lag between rate-setting meetings would allow the committee to accumulate more data about the economy. Reducing the number of rate-setting meetings has long been debated over concerns about shortsightedness — but the switch was never enacted over fears that the Fed would become less nimble in reacting to sudden changes in the economy.
这一变化将使美联储在包括英国央行和日本央行在内的主要央行中独树一帜。这也是沃什实施的又一项重大变革。沃什由总统唐纳德·特朗普提名，于今年5月执掌美联储。
The change would make the Fed unique among major central banks, including the Bank of England and Bank of Japan. It marks another major change enacted by Warsh, who took the reins of the Fed in May after being nominated by President Donald Trump.
沃什大幅缩短了联邦公开市场委员会（FOMC）会后政策声明的篇幅。他还拒绝发布所谓的“前瞻性指引”，即包含对未来通胀和失业率预测的内容。
Warsh has dramatically shortened the FOMC’s post-meeting policy statement. He has also declined to issue what is known as “forward guidance,” which contains forecasts about future inflation and unemployment.