Indians Trapped by Debt as Easy Money Dries Up 印度人被债务所苦 Rising mortgage payments, soaring inflation and fuel prices were beginning to put the squeeze on the spending spree he'd taken for granted for the past four years. So after painstaking discussions with his wife, he drew up a list of expenses to cut. The family would stop buying famous-brand clothes. They would not window-shop if they did not need anything. They would use credit cards less and replace their gasoline-fueled car with a vehicle that uses cheaper natural gas. 印度当地的抵押贷款利息升高、通货膨胀、高油价等等情势开始压榨印度人的开销。他们 开始减少家庭开销、不逛名牌服饰店、减少信用卡的使用并换开始用天然气的交通工具。 The past four years have brought India economic growth of seemingly unstoppable momentum, often 9 percent a year, helped along by big inflows of foreign investment. Rising incomes and low interest rates enabled many middle-class Indians to realize the dream of owning a home, even while still in their 30s. 再过去的四年里，印度的经济大好，成长率高达９％，大量流入的外资和低利率让他们在 ３０岁就有能力购买房子 But economists warned that the economy was overheating, producing inflation and speculative bubbles in real estate and the stock market. So government policymakers moved to cool things down by raising interest rates and tightening the rules for home loans. 但是经济的过热导致通货膨胀、房地产泡沫化和股市的不稳定，所以印度政府祭出了提高 利率和改变房屋租贷法来冷却过热的经济。 On Wednesday, the government projected the growth rate would fall this year to 7.7 percent, compared with nearly 9 percent last year. Industrial output slipped to its lowest in six years, growing 5.4 percent in June, compared with 8.9 percent in the same month last year. 今年印度的产值下滑到7.7%，比起去年的9%明显短少了许多。另外今年六月的经济成长率 也只有5.4%，一样低於去年六月的8.9% Trapped in debt, many middle-class Indians are struggling to cope. Raina's monthly mortgage payment has gone up by 12 percent. "I have to cut corners now, or I may not be able to pay back my loan before retirement," he said. Payments on some loans have doubled since 2004, when interest rates were at a record low. 被房贷困住的中产阶级穷於应付目前的情势。Raina的月抵押贷款飙高到12%，＂我必须要 缩衣节食才能在退休之前付清我的房贷＂印度当地部分的房贷金额从2004年起已经升高到 两倍之谱 A senior government economic official acknowledged that inflation, now at 12 percent, a 13-year high, has exceeded the tolerance level of many Indians. But he said that the government's moves are having the desired and ultimately positive effect. 印度政府经济部表示目前的通货膨胀率为12%，已经创下13年来的新高，也超过了大多数 印度人所能容忍的程度，不过同时也预期政府的这项措施将有助於减缓经济过热的潜在危 险 "The monetary policy actions that have been taken during the past 12 to 18 months, following the financial crises in the West, have dampened the overheated land markets," said Arvind Virmani, chief economic adviser in the government, in an e-mail. "Some effect on consumer credit and related purchases of durable goods is also to be expected. The 93 percent rise in oil prices has however made it extremely challenging to manage inflation and growth." 印度经济总顾问Arvind Virmani在电子邮件中表示＂利率政策已经实行了12到18个月，伴 随者西方的经济危机，已经减缓了过热的经济＂，＂消费者的信用借款和永久财的影响已 经慢慢浮现，加上上涨了93%油价更加重通货膨胀管理的难度＂ Marketing and retail brand strategist Harish Bijoor says that Indians are now buying, vacationing and dining out less. In Mumbai, the country's unofficial commercial capital, the frequency of dining out has dropped by a third in the past three months. 行销顾问Harish Bijoor表示＂印度人现在减少了消费、度假和外食频率。在孟买，外食 的频率再过去的三个月里减少了三分之一＂ "The Indian middle class is now deferring purchase decisions because they are locked in the rising mortgage trap from multiple loans. They did not anticipate this cash crunch. They thought India's growth story would only go up, up and up," Bijoor said. " ＂由於被不断升高的房贷捆住，现在大部分的印度人延缓他们的购买计划，他们完全没有 预料到今天的金融问题，在他们的观念中印度的经济只会不断的变好＂ In a bid to get rid of piling-up inventory, many stores are offering mega discounts with signs on their windows saying "Beat the Inflation." 为了消掉存货，印度的商家开始打出了＂对抗通膨＂的口号 原文　http://myurl.com.tw/sbpq 因为原文过长，所以我只有抓重点翻译，有错误敬请指教 --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.171.138.100 ※ 编辑: LOUISAOK 来自: 218.171.138.100 (08/17 12:17) ※ 编辑: LOUISAOK 来自: 218.171.138.100 (08/17 12:18)