美國史上最長經濟擴張期結束,2月已陷入衰退

The economic downturn in the US triggered by the pandemic has been officially declared a recession.

由於受到新冠肺炎疫情的影響，美國經濟正式陷入衰退。

The National Bureau of Economic Research made the designation on Monday, citing the scale and severity of the current contraction.

美國國家經濟研究局根據當前經濟衰退的規模和嚴重程度在當地時間6月8日宣佈了這一判斷。

It said activity and employment hit a "clear" and "well-defined" peak in February, before falling.

該機構表示，今年2月份，美國的經濟活動和就業達到了一個“清晰”且“明確”的峯值，之後開始下降。

The ruling puts a formal end to what had been more than a decade of economic expansion - the longest in US history.

這一判定正式結束了美國長達10多年的經濟擴張——這是美國曆史上持續時間最長的一次。

Meanwhile, US markets continued their rebound on Monday, as investors remained optimistic that the downturn will be short-lived.

與此同時，美國股市本週一（6月8日）繼續反彈，投資者仍樂觀地認爲，經濟低迷將是暫時的。

A recession was expected after the US economy contracted 5% in the first three months of the year.

美國經濟在今年前三個月下降了5%，因此經濟衰退也在意料之中。

Employers also reported cutting roughly 22 million jobs in March and April, as restrictions on activity intended to help control the virus forced many businesses to close.

旨在控制病毒傳播的限制措施迫使許多企業停業，美國的僱主們在今年3月和4月裁員約2200萬人。

Some economists are hopeful that the job losses have now stopped, and a rebound has begun. In May, US employers added 2.5 million jobs, as states started reopening.

一些經濟學家滿懷希望地認爲裁員已經終止，經濟復甦已經開始。5月份，隨着各州開始重新開放，美國增加了250萬個工作崗位。

The National Bureau of Economic Research, a private research organisation, said it viewed the scale of the decline that started in February as more significant than its duration.

私營研究機構美國國家經濟研究局認爲，始於2月份的這次衰退規模比持續時間更重要。

"The unprecedented magnitude of the decline in employment and production, and its broad reach across the entire economy, warrants the designation of this episode as a recession, even if it turns out to be briefer than earlier contractions," it said.

該機構稱：“就業和生產史無前例的下降規模及其對整體經濟的廣泛影響，使我們有理由將這一時期稱爲衰退，儘管其持續時間比之前的經濟收縮更爲短暫。”

The bureau typically defines a recession as an economic contraction that lasts "more than a few months".

該機構通常將衰退定義爲持續“數月以上”的經濟收縮。

It has declared 12 recessions since 1948, the longest of which was the Great Recession, which lasted 18 months, from December 2007 to June 2009.

自1948年以來，該機構宣佈了12次經濟衰退，其中最長的一次是2007年12月至2009年6月的“大衰退”，持續了18個月。

US financial markets, which tumbled in February amid signs of the economic collapse, have been on the upswing since March, due to investor hopes that economic damage will be limited, thanks to emergency relief from Congress and the central bank.

美國金融市場曾在2月份因經濟崩潰的跡象而暴跌，但由於投資者希望，得益於美國國會和美聯儲的緊急救助，他們面臨的經濟損失會是有限的，因此市場自3月份以來一直在回升。

On Monday, the Nasdaq index closed at 9,924.7, gaining 1.1% to top its pre-pandemic record.

本週一（6月8日），納斯達克指數收於9924.7點，上漲1.1%，刷新了新冠肺炎疫情之前的紀錄。

The S&P 500 rose 1.2% to close at 3,232.3 - returning to where it started the year - while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.7% to 27,572.4. The two indexes are now less than 10% lower than their pre-pandemic peaks.

標準普爾500指數上漲1.2%，收於3232.3點，回到年初水平，道瓊斯工業平均指數上漲1.7%，收於27572.4點。這兩個指數現在比疫情前的峯值低了不到10%。

Many economists have warned that the economic pain is likely to linger, even if the worst has passed.

許多經濟學家警告說，即使最糟糕的時期已經過去，經濟陣痛可能還會持續下去。

The World Bank on Monday said it expected the global economy to shrink by 5.2% this year, in the deepest recession since World War Two.

世界銀行本週一（6月8日）表示，預計今年全球經濟將下滑5.2%，是二戰以來最嚴重的衰退。

It said it expected the US economy to contract by 6.1% and the Euro area to shrink by 9.1%.

世界銀行預計美國經濟將下降6.1%，歐元區將下降9.1%。

While global growth of 4.2% is expected to return next year, the bank warned that the outlook is "highly uncertain and downside risks are predominant, including the possibility of a more protracted pandemic, financial upheaval and retreat from global trade and supply linkages".

儘管預計明年全球經濟將恢復4.2%的增長，但世行警告稱，前景“高度不確定，下行風險占主導地位，包括疫情可能持續更長時間、金融動盪以及全球貿易和供應聯繫的倒退”。