大約在去年的這個時候,著名經濟學家努里埃爾·魯比尼警告,美國在2023年避免嚴重經濟衰退是“不可能完成的任務”。魯比尼因為對市場前景的悲觀預測,而被譽為華爾街的“末日博士”(Dr. Doom)。當時,Roubini Macro Associates的首席執行官努里埃爾·魯比尼擔心,為了控制通貨膨脹,美聯儲(Federal Reserve)的激進加息可能最終放慢美國經濟的增長速度,使經濟陷入停滯。2022年6月,美國的通脹率超過9%,達到40年新高。他強調了創紀錄的全球私人和公共債務,以及俄烏沖突造成的日益沉重的經濟代價,因此他預測美國經濟將陷入“停滯性通脹債務危機”或者“另外一個版本的大蕭條(Great Depression)”。
但現在,魯比尼相信美國經濟至少在目前可能已經避免了這些可怕的命運。
他在9月18日接受彭博社(Bloomberg)的采訪時,引用了經濟學家們在描繪經濟衰退時最常用的航空業的比喻。他說:“好消息是,似乎我們不會迎來真正的硬著陸。問題是我們會經歷軟著陸還是顛簸著陸,即短期輕度衰退,在這個問題上,我們還不知道答案。”
這番言論代表魯比尼的立場發生了巨大的變化。他曾經在2022年7月表示,當時同行預測的短期輕度衰退“完全是幻想”。但自去年7月以來,情況已經發生了巨大的變化。美聯儲的主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾成功地將通脹從新冠疫情時期的高點9.1%降低到只有3.7%,與此同時維持了美國GDP增長;在新冠疫情期間陷入混亂的供應鏈已經恢復正常;雖然區域銀行業在3月發生了短暫的危機,但標準普爾500指數(S&P 500)今年到目前為止已經上漲了超過16%。
這些好消息甚至讓魯比尼對美國經濟的近期前景感到更加樂觀,但他依舊擔心輕度衰退。
正如《財富》雜志此前的報道所說,即使最樂觀的預測者也承認,現在宣布經濟已經“軟著陸”仍然為時過早,所謂軟著陸是指加息在控制通脹的同時,不會引發造成失業的經濟衰退。魯比尼提到多重風險依然可能使美國經濟進入下行螺旋,包括“貨幣政策長期、多變的滯后”造成的影響和發生“信貸問題”的可能性,或者在區域銀行曝出問題的情況下企業無法獲得貸款和信貸。
但經濟面臨的最明顯的風險可能源自“頑固的”通貨膨脹。魯比尼指出,2023年,歐佩克(OPEC)和俄羅斯減產導致油價暴漲。在新冠疫情期間,油價是通脹升高的重要原因。在美國,西得克薩斯中質油(West Texas Intermediate)的原油價格今年大幅上漲了約20%,達到每桶超過91美元,而且這位經濟學家認為,油價上漲“意味著更高的通脹和更低的經濟活動”。
雖然通貨膨脹較40年最高水平大幅下降,但仍舊遠高于美聯儲2%的目標,這可能迫使美聯儲再次加息。魯比尼擔心,美聯儲進一步收緊貨幣政策,可能引發輕度衰退。
他總結道:“因此,我想說的是,即使對美國來說,我們會真正軟著陸,還是進入短期輕度衰退,這個問題依然值得討論?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W)
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
大約在去年的這個時候,著名經濟學家努里埃爾·魯比尼警告,美國在2023年避免嚴重經濟衰退是“不可能完成的任務”。魯比尼因為對市場前景的悲觀預測,而被譽為華爾街的“末日博士”(Dr. Doom)。當時,Roubini Macro Associates的首席執行官努里埃爾·魯比尼擔心,為了控制通貨膨脹,美聯儲(Federal Reserve)的激進加息可能最終放慢美國經濟的增長速度,使經濟陷入停滯。2022年6月,美國的通脹率超過9%,達到40年新高。他強調了創紀錄的全球私人和公共債務,以及俄烏沖突造成的日益沉重的經濟代價,因此他預測美國經濟將陷入“停滯性通脹債務危機”或者“另外一個版本的大蕭條(Great Depression)”。
但現在,魯比尼相信美國經濟至少在目前可能已經避免了這些可怕的命運。
他在9月18日接受彭博社(Bloomberg)的采訪時,引用了經濟學家們在描繪經濟衰退時最常用的航空業的比喻。他說:“好消息是,似乎我們不會迎來真正的硬著陸。問題是我們會經歷軟著陸還是顛簸著陸,即短期輕度衰退,在這個問題上,我們還不知道答案?!?/p>
這番言論代表魯比尼的立場發生了巨大的變化。他曾經在2022年7月表示,當時同行預測的短期輕度衰退“完全是幻想”。但自去年7月以來,情況已經發生了巨大的變化。美聯儲的主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾成功地將通脹從新冠疫情時期的高點9.1%降低到只有3.7%,與此同時維持了美國GDP增長;在新冠疫情期間陷入混亂的供應鏈已經恢復正常;雖然區域銀行業在3月發生了短暫的危機,但標準普爾500指數(S&P 500)今年到目前為止已經上漲了超過16%。
這些好消息甚至讓魯比尼對美國經濟的近期前景感到更加樂觀,但他依舊擔心輕度衰退。
正如《財富》雜志此前的報道所說,即使最樂觀的預測者也承認,現在宣布經濟已經“軟著陸”仍然為時過早,所謂軟著陸是指加息在控制通脹的同時,不會引發造成失業的經濟衰退。魯比尼提到多重風險依然可能使美國經濟進入下行螺旋,包括“貨幣政策長期、多變的滯后”造成的影響和發生“信貸問題”的可能性,或者在區域銀行曝出問題的情況下企業無法獲得貸款和信貸。
但經濟面臨的最明顯的風險可能源自“頑固的”通貨膨脹。魯比尼指出,2023年,歐佩克(OPEC)和俄羅斯減產導致油價暴漲。在新冠疫情期間,油價是通脹升高的重要原因。在美國,西得克薩斯中質油(West Texas Intermediate)的原油價格今年大幅上漲了約20%,達到每桶超過91美元,而且這位經濟學家認為,油價上漲“意味著更高的通脹和更低的經濟活動”。
雖然通貨膨脹較40年最高水平大幅下降,但仍舊遠高于美聯儲2%的目標,這可能迫使美聯儲再次加息。魯比尼擔心,美聯儲進一步收緊貨幣政策,可能引發輕度衰退。
他總結道:“因此,我想說的是,即使對美國來說,我們會真正軟著陸,還是進入短期輕度衰退,這個問題依然值得討論。”(財富中文網)
譯者:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
Around this time last year, Nouriel Roubini, the famed economist who has earned the sobriquet Dr. Doom on Wall Street for his gloomy outlook on markets, warned that it would be “mission impossible” for the U.S. to avoid a severe recession in 2023. At the time, the CEO of Roubini Macro Associates feared that the Federal Reserve, in its quest to tame inflation that reached a four-decade high above 9% in June 2022, would ultimately slow the American economy to a standstill with its aggressive interest rate hikes. Highlighting record-high global private and public debts and the steadily increasing economic price tag of the war in Ukraine, he forecast a “stagflationary debt crisis” or even “a variant of another Great Depression.”
Now though, Roubini believes the U.S. economy may have avoided these terrible fates—at least for the time being.
“The good news is it doesn’t look like we are going to have a real hard landing,” he told Bloomberg on September 18, referencing economists’ favorite aviation analogy for a recession. “The question is whether we are going to have a soft landing or a bumpy landing—a bumpy landing being a short and shallow recession—and on that debate, we don’t know yet.”
The comments mark a big shift in tone from Roubini, who in July 2022 said that his peers predicting a short and shallow recession at the time were “totally delusional.” But a lot has changed since last July. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has managed to cool inflation to from its 9.1% pandemic-era high to just 3.7%, all while maintaining U.S. GDP growth; supply chains, which were thrown into chaos during the pandemic, have mostly healed; and despite a short-lived regional banking crisis in March, the S&P 500 is up over 16% year to date.
The good news has even Roubini feeling a bit more optimistic about the U.S. economy’s near-term prospects, but he’s still worried about a mild recession.
As Fortune previously reported, even the most bullish of forecasters admit that it’s still too early to declare the economy has had a “soft landing”—where inflation is controlled without rising interest rates sparking a job-killing recession. And Roubini cited a number of risks that could still hurl the U.S. economy into a downward spiral, including the strain of “the long and variable lags of monetary policy” and the potential for “credit issues”—or a lack of available loans and credit for businesses amid regional banks’ problems.
But perhaps the most credible risk to the economy comes from “sticky” inflation. Roubini noted that oil prices, which played a big part in the rise of inflation during the pandemic, have soared in 2023 due to OPEC and Russian supply cuts. In the U.S., West Texas Intermediate crude prices have jumped roughly 20% this year to over $91 per barrel, and, according to the economist, higher oil prices “imply higher inflation and lower economic activity.”
Although inflation has fallen substantially from its four-decade high, it remains well above the Fed’s 2% target, which could force the central bank to raise interest rates yet again. And Roubini fears that further Fed tightening could spark a mild recession.
“So I would say whether we’re going to have a true soft landing rather than a short and shallow recession still is an open question, even for the United States,” he concluded.