國際時事跟讀 Ep. L281: 三年首度升息，聯準會硬碰川普 Fed Hikes Rates 25 Basis Points, First in Three Years

早期在教英文時，John老師最常忽略的就是正餐。接案的人應該都懂，行程是別人給的。早上一堂課、下午趕另一場，中間能吃就吃，不能吃就撐到晚上。營養這種事，永遠排在待辦事項最後一個。 Omega-3 是身體自己做不出來的必需脂肪酸，一定要從食物來，可是我這種吃法，實在很難吃夠。所以我一直有在補魚油，只是以前買的不是膠囊大到卡喉嚨，就是吃完打嗝整天都是魚腥味，最後常常放到過期。 這次換成 Simply 新普利有橄平衡魚油，吃了一陣子，來跟大家分享實際感受。膠囊小，餐後配水吞兩顆，三秒解決。魚味問題也沒有出現，看了成分才發現它加了冷壓初榨橄欖油，Omega-3 跟 Omega-9 用二比一搭配，吃起來很順。順便教大家魚油的兩個英文： \- rTG 是魚油的型態，比較好吸收的那種。 \- TOTOX 是總氧化值，數字越低代表越新鮮。 這款用阿拉斯加魚油，捕撈後兩小時內低溫冷壓，TOTOX 只有 1.7 到 2.8。另外還加了維生素 D3，幫助鈣吸收、維持骨骼健康。現在John老師會固定放一盒在包包，出門上課前吃掉。對我這種行程變動大的人來說，能持續才是重點。 今天的單字：balance，平衡。工作生活要平衡，飲食也要均衡。 優惠連結和折扣碼【15mins】，歡迎點入連結參考: https://mysimply.net/hqiR6 \----------------------------------- 🎧 **通勤學英語 VIP 專區 &** 🚀 **線上課程**  \----------------------------------- 💡 **想要更自然的提升英語力？加入VIP會員，獲得專屬內容與優惠！** - **立即加入VIP方案** → https://15minstoday.firstory.cc/join - **VIP訂閱常見問題** →https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/5cjptb - **VIP會員想許願哪些主題？** →https://forms.gle/xyHoPydBr6LLFL9q8 **🔥 社會人核心英語有聲書課程**→https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/554esm \------------------------------- 🌎 15Mins.Today 相關連結 \------------------------------- 💬 **你的想法很重要！留言分享** → 留言連結 Web：www.15mins.today YouTube：https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/3rhuuy 商業合作/贊助來信：[15minstoday@gmail.com](mailto:15minstoday@gmail.com) 意見回覆 : [ask15mins@gmail.com](mailto:ask15mins@gmail.com) \-------------------------------------------- 📜 **單集逐字稿 & 內容摘要（播放器字數有限，完整逐字稿請到官網查看）** \-------------------------------------------- 國際時事跟讀VIP Ep. L281: Fed Hikes Rates 25 Basis Points, First in Three Years Highlights 主題摘要 - The Fed raised rates by 25 basis points to between 3.75 and 4 percent, its first increase in more than three years. - Fuel costs from the war on Iran have pushed annual inflation to 3.4 percent, far above the central bank's 2 percent target. - Banks lifted their prime lending rates the same day, and most policymakers expect at least one more increase before the year is out. The United States Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday for the first time in more than three years, lifting its benchmark range by 25 basis points to between 3.75 and 4 percent. The decision was unanimous, and it landed just weeks before midterm elections in which the cost of living ranks among voters' top concerns. Chair Kevin Warsh, whom Democratic lawmakers had once dismissed as a likely rubber stamp for the White House, called the move sober and responsible, arguing that inflation had been too high for too long. 美國聯準會（Fed）週三宣布逾三年來首度升息，將基準利率調升一碼（25個基點），來到 3.75% 至 4% 區間。這項全票通過的決議，發布時機距離期中選舉僅剩短短數週，而生活成本正是選民當前最關切的議題。曾被民主黨議員譏為白宮「橡皮圖章」的聯準會主席華許（Kevin Warsh）稱此舉「冷靜且負責任」，並直言通膨居高不下的時間已經太長了。 The pressure had been mounting for months. Fuel costs have surged since the start of the war on Iran, with Brent crude hovering near $109 a barrel and diesel reaching a record average of $6.31 a gallon, roughly double its level a year ago. Because diesel moves the trucks that haul everything from vegetables to cement, those costs are expected to ripple through to prices more broadly. Consumer prices rose 0.4 percent in August, the sharpest monthly gain in four months, leaving annual inflation at 3.4 percent. 過去幾個月來，升息壓力持續悶燒。自對伊朗開戰以來，燃料成本便一路狂飆，布蘭特原油在每桶 109 美元附近徘徊，柴油平均價格更創下每加侖 6.31 美元的歷史新高，幾乎是去年同期的兩倍。由於從蔬菜到水泥等各項物資皆仰賴柴油卡車運輸，這波成本攀升預料將進一步牽動整體物價。8 月份消費者物價上漲 0.4%，創下四個月來最大單月漲幅，年通膨率則來到 3.4%。 Markets were hardly caught off guard. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) FedWatch had put the odds of a hike at 92.3 percent, up from 40 percent a week earlier, and once a move is priced in, as Tufts University economist Michael Klein observed, it stops being news. The politics were another matter. President Donald Trump, who has demanded that rates be cut to 1 percent or lower, posted in capital letters that borrowing costs should come down fast. He later said he still backed Warsh but described the Fed board as hostile and political. 金融市場對此決策並未感到意外。芝商所（CME）FedWatch 數據顯示，升息機率已從一週前的 40% 飆升至 92.3%。正如塔夫茨大學（Tufts University）經濟學家克萊恩（Michael Klein）所言，一旦市場提前消化了預期，升息就不再是新聞。然而，政治層面卻是另一回事。屢次要求將利率降至 1% 甚至更低的總統川普，以全大寫字母發文強調借貸成本必須迅速調降。他隨後雖表示仍支持華許，但也直批聯準會理事會「充滿敵意且高度政治化」。 For households, the effects will show up in what they owe. JPMorgan and other major banks lifted their prime lending rate to 7 percent the same day, a change that feeds directly into credit cards and personal loans, while buyers seeking a new mortgage could face steeper terms. Most policymakers expect one further increase before the year is out, and the Fed's own projections do not show inflation back at target until 2029. The European Central Bank tightened last week, a reminder that the war's price shock is not confined to America. 對一般家庭而言，升息的衝擊將直接反映在債務負擔上。摩根大通（JPMorgan）等大型銀行已在同日將最優惠貸款利率（Prime rate）調升至 7%，這項變動將直接牽動信用卡與個人信貸利率；與此同時，準備申請新房貸的購屋族恐將面臨更嚴苛的貸款條件。多數決策官員預估年底前還會再升息一次，而聯準會本身的預測更顯示，通膨率要到 2029 年才會回落至目標水準。此外，歐洲央行（ECB）上週的緊縮行動也提醒了外界，戰爭帶來的物價衝擊絕非美國獨有。 Keyword Drills 關鍵字 1. Basis points \[noun phrase, hundredth of a percentage point, used to describe moves in interest rates]: The bank raised rates by fifty basis points today. 2. Ripple through \[verb phrase, to spread gradually across a system and affect all of it]: Higher fuel prices ripple through the whole supply chain. 3. Caught off guard \[idiom, surprised by something you were not prepared for]: The sudden announcement caught investors off guard. 4. Priced in \[idiomatic expression, already reflected in the current market price]: The rate hike was priced in weeks ago. 5. Prime lending rate \[noun phrase, the base rate banks charge their most reliable borrowers]: My credit card follows the prime lending rate. Reference article: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/16/us-fed-raises-interest-rates-as-inflation-weighs-on-economy https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw4gmlyvj422o