美国新财长支持“长期”强势美元

Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary appeared to reassert support for a strong dollar yesterday, adding to conflicting signals over the new administration’s economic policy as he sought to clarify the president-elect’s comments that hit the currency this week.

唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)提名的财政部长昨日似乎重申了对强势美元的支持，这让围绕新政府经济政策的彼此冲突的信号更显扑朔迷离。史蒂文•姆努钦(Steven Mnuchin)寻求澄清特朗普此前发表的让美元本周承压的言论。

Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker, told his Senate confirmation hearing that a strong currency remained important over the long-term, reflecting America’s attractiveness as an investment destination.

身为高盛(Goldman Sachs)前银行家的姆努钦在参议院任命确认听证会上表示，长期而言，强势货币依然非常重要，它反映出美国作为投资目的地的吸引力。

On Monday, Mr Trump appeared to break decades of strong-dollar policy in the US by saying the level of the currency was too high and was preventing American companies from competing with Chinese counterparts. The comments caused a sell-off in the greenback, reversing a strong rally that had run since election day.

本周一，特朗普似乎打破了美国数十年的强势美元政策，声称美元汇率过高，阻止了美国公司与中国公司竞争。这些言辞导致美元被抛售，逆转了自选举日以来的一轮强劲上涨。

Mr Trump’s comments had not been meant as “a long-term comment”, Mr Mnuchin said. He instead reflected concerns about the short-term effects of a strong dollar, including its potentially negative impact on trade. “The long-term strength over long periods of time is important,” Mr Mnuchin said. “We have to protect our US companies so they’re not forced abroad.”

姆努钦表示，特朗普的这些话并不是“长期评论”。相反，这些言论反映出他对强势美元短期影响的担忧，包括对贸易的潜在负面影响。姆努钦说：“长时间跨度的长期强势非常重要，我们不得不保护美国公司，让它们不致被迫迁往国外。”

Mr Mnuchin said he would not be commenting about short-term currency movements as Treasury secretary. But the signals being sent by the Trump camp highlight the risks of the president-elect confusing the markets with his freewheeling style, as well as uncertainty over the new administration’s economic priorities.

姆努钦表示，作为财政部长，他将不会对短期汇率走势置评。但特朗普团队发出的信号突显新总统信口开河的风格让市场困惑的风险，以及围绕新政府经济重点的不确定性。