The Federal Reserve is monitoring currency markets “closely” and will conduct policy in a way that will “help ensure that the dollar is strong”, Ben Bernanke said yesterday in rare comments on the US currency.

美联储(Fed)主席本•伯南克(Ben Bernanke)昨日罕见地就美元发表言论，表示美联储正“密切”监视汇率市场动向，将以“有助于确保美元强势”的方式推行政策。

In remarks apparently aimed at reassuring markets and foreign governments that the central bank is not indifferent to the fate of the dollar, the Fed chairman said “we are attentive to the implications of changes in the value of the dollar”.

伯南克的言论明显是为了安抚市场和外国政府，表明美联储对美元的命运并非漠不关心，他表示：“我们在留意着美元价值变动的影响。”

He added that the Fed “will continue to formulate policy to guard against risks to our dual mandate to foster both maximum employment and price stability” – and that in doing so it would support the value of the currency.

他又表示，美联储“将继续制定相应政策，从我们的双重使命（促进就业最大化和维持物价稳定）出发，防范风险”，为此，美联储将支撑美元的价值。

The dollar briefly jumped on his remarks, but then gave up some gains as traders questioned whether Mr Bernanke was prepared to go beyond talking in support of the currency.

伯南克发表上述言论后，美元短暂上扬，但很快就回吐部分涨幅，因为交易员怀疑伯南克是否真的准备采取行动支持美元。

For the Fed chairman to comment on currencies at all is highly unusual. By convention, the US Treasury secretary is the sole US official who talks about the dollar.

美联储主席就汇率发表言论是极为罕见的，按照美国的惯例，财长是谈论美元的唯一官员。

Mr Bernanke's comments came amid growing international unease about the weakness in the dollar, which forms a backdrop to President Barack Obama's tour of Asia. Liu Mingkang, China's banking regulator, criticised the Fed at the weekend for fuelling the dollar carry trade in which investors borrow dollars at ultra-low interest rates and invest in higher-yielding assets abroad, creating the risk of new asset price bubbles.

伯南克发表上述言论之际，国际社会日益担忧美元的疲势，这构成美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)访问亚洲之行的背景之一。上周末，中国银监会主席刘明康指责美联储助长美元套息交易，称这可能造成新的资产价格泡沫。套息交易是指投资者以极低利率借入美元，然后投资于收益率较高的海外资产。

The Fed chairman indicated that the US central bank would not ignore the impact of rising commodity prices when evaluating the outlook for inflation. He said he would not rule out using interest rates to combat new asset price bubbles, even though he did not see obvious mispricing in the US at this stage.

伯南克表示，美联储在评估通胀前景时，不会忽视大宗商品价格持续上涨的影响。他表示，他不排除动用利率来遏制新的资产价格泡沫，即便他认为现阶段美国并不存在明显的价格失调。