We have seen some improvement in economic data, but not enough to suggest that we are any closer to overcoming decisively this painful period of low growth and high unemployment. And, with a self-inflicted fiscal cliff looming – one that could send our country back into recession, pulling the rest of the world with us – businesses are reluctant to hire and invest in new capital goods.
在你们们离开国会大厦期间，各路消息喜忧参半。经济数据存在一些改善，但并不足以表明我们离决定性地克服此次低增长、高失业时期迈进了一步。此外，随着自我形成的财政悬崖步步逼近——可能将我们国家重新推向衰退，并将世界其他地区也拖下水——企业不愿招聘，也不愿投资新的资本品。幸运的是，美联储释放了继续积极的信号，但它的政策工具对我们所面临的挑战作用有限。