Living with constant double——digit inflation may be something new for Americans, but across the Atlantic many Europeans are used to it. How do people who are veterans at battling inflation cope? What tricks have they learned?For the answer, staff members of U.S. News & World Report in London, Paris, Rome and Geneva talked to people in many different occupations. This is what they learned:Everyone has a strategy for sheltering assets from inflation or for supplementing income.In Italy, to protect savings, people are rushing to invest in three-to-six-month government securities that bring from 12 to 15 percent in interest. The earnings are worth even more than this because they are exempt from taxes.Throughout Europe, investing in real estate, precious metals and a variety of other tangibles is a favored way to hedge. The French have an estimated 10 billion dollars' worth of gold hidden away. Swiss bankers tell investors to keep 5 to 10 percent of their assets in gold.
Working an extra job for cash and hiding the income from the tax collector is another increasingly popular method used to cope with high prices caused by inflation.Pensions in Italy only recently were linked to the cost of living. In France, generous family allowances help to protect those with children.But all the methods for beating inflation are of little use, insists one Swiss banker. In the end, inflation is bad for everybody.In Britain, unsold goods gathering dust on the shelves have reached an all-time high, totaling over 10 billion dollars worth. Expensive consumer goods such as autos, kitchen appliances, TV sets, clothing and furs top the list of avoided goods.Germans, who have one of the world's best records for fighting inflation, are limiting their use of gasoline, now priced at nearly $2.50 a gallon.Surveys show that Italians are using their cars less, economizing more on heating, spending less on clothes and resorting more and more to “do it yourself” repairs.
Even Italy's famous night life shows the effects of inflation. Says a Milan businessman: “Restaurants, movies, and nightclubs are half empty much of the time.”
Experienced as they are at fighting inflation, many Europeans are as worried as Americans. When asked how the Swiss were protecting their savings, a Zurich banker replied: “Most of them sit in the corner and cry because they don't know what to do.”
在生活中,經(jīng)常遇到兩位數(shù)的通貨膨脹，這對美國人來說還是新鮮事，但在大西洋對岸，許多歐洲人已經(jīng)習(xí)以為常了。那些與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幍睦鲜謧兪窃鯓訉Ω锻ㄘ浥蛎浀模克麄儗W(xué)會了哪些竅門呢？為尋找答案，駐倫墩、巴黎、羅馬和日內(nèi)瓦的美國世界報導(dǎo)與新聞社的工作人員與許多從事不同職業(yè)的人進(jìn)行了交談。下面是他們所學(xué)到的一些竅門：各人都有一套庇護(hù)資產(chǎn)免遭通貨膨脹的侵害，或者是補充收入的對策。在意大利，人們?yōu)榱瞬蛔寖π钤馐軗p失，趕緊投資三至六個月的政府有價證券，其利率是12% - 15%。收益還不止這個比率，因為它們是免稅的。整個歐洲，投資房地產(chǎn)、貴金屬和各種其它有形資產(chǎn)是一種套期保值的有利方法。據(jù)估計，法國有一百億價值的黃金蒸發(fā)掉了；瑞士銀行家要投資人將5%—— 10%的資產(chǎn)用黃金保存。
干一份額外工作獲得現(xiàn)款并對稅務(wù)員隱瞞這筆收入，是對付通貨膨脹、物價飛漲的另一種越來越普遍的方法。意大利的養(yǎng)老金只是在最近與生活費用掛鉤，在法國，慷慨家庭的捐款用來幫助那些孩子較多的家庭度過難關(guān)。但是所有旨在與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幍姆椒ǘ紵o濟于事，瑞士銀行家堅持說，最終，通貨膨脹對大家都不利。在英國，賣不出去的貨物落滿了灰塵，堆放在貨架上， 達(dá)到記錄，總價值超過一百億美元。昂貴的消費品，如汽車、櫥房用品、電視機、服裝和皮裝在滯銷產(chǎn)品中是最多的。德國人，他們具有戰(zhàn)勝通貨膨脹的記錄，正在限制氣油的使用，現(xiàn)在的價格為每加侖2.50美元。調(diào)查資料顯示，意大利人在減少用車，節(jié)省取暖費用，降低穿衣費用，并越來越熱衷于“自己動手修理”。
甚至連意大利的夜生活也受到通貨膨脹的影響。一為米蘭商人說：“餐館、*、及夜總會的大部分時間，賣座率只有一半。許多歐洲人與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幰阉憬?jīng)驗老道，但仍惶惶不可終日，和美國人不相上下。當(dāng)有人問瑞士人是怎樣使儲蓄存款免遭損失的，一位蘇黎士的銀行家回答說：“大部分人坐在角落哭泣，因為他們不知道怎么辦”。
Working an extra job for cash and hiding the income from the tax collector is another increasingly popular method used to cope with high prices caused by inflation.Pensions in Italy only recently were linked to the cost of living. In France, generous family allowances help to protect those with children.But all the methods for beating inflation are of little use, insists one Swiss banker. In the end, inflation is bad for everybody.In Britain, unsold goods gathering dust on the shelves have reached an all-time high, totaling over 10 billion dollars worth. Expensive consumer goods such as autos, kitchen appliances, TV sets, clothing and furs top the list of avoided goods.Germans, who have one of the world's best records for fighting inflation, are limiting their use of gasoline, now priced at nearly $2.50 a gallon.Surveys show that Italians are using their cars less, economizing more on heating, spending less on clothes and resorting more and more to “do it yourself” repairs.
Even Italy's famous night life shows the effects of inflation. Says a Milan businessman: “Restaurants, movies, and nightclubs are half empty much of the time.”
Experienced as they are at fighting inflation, many Europeans are as worried as Americans. When asked how the Swiss were protecting their savings, a Zurich banker replied: “Most of them sit in the corner and cry because they don't know what to do.”
在生活中,經(jīng)常遇到兩位數(shù)的通貨膨脹，這對美國人來說還是新鮮事，但在大西洋對岸，許多歐洲人已經(jīng)習(xí)以為常了。那些與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幍睦鲜謧兪窃鯓訉Ω锻ㄘ浥蛎浀模克麄儗W(xué)會了哪些竅門呢？為尋找答案，駐倫墩、巴黎、羅馬和日內(nèi)瓦的美國世界報導(dǎo)與新聞社的工作人員與許多從事不同職業(yè)的人進(jìn)行了交談。下面是他們所學(xué)到的一些竅門：各人都有一套庇護(hù)資產(chǎn)免遭通貨膨脹的侵害，或者是補充收入的對策。在意大利，人們?yōu)榱瞬蛔寖π钤馐軗p失，趕緊投資三至六個月的政府有價證券，其利率是12% - 15%。收益還不止這個比率，因為它們是免稅的。整個歐洲，投資房地產(chǎn)、貴金屬和各種其它有形資產(chǎn)是一種套期保值的有利方法。據(jù)估計，法國有一百億價值的黃金蒸發(fā)掉了；瑞士銀行家要投資人將5%—— 10%的資產(chǎn)用黃金保存。
干一份額外工作獲得現(xiàn)款并對稅務(wù)員隱瞞這筆收入，是對付通貨膨脹、物價飛漲的另一種越來越普遍的方法。意大利的養(yǎng)老金只是在最近與生活費用掛鉤，在法國，慷慨家庭的捐款用來幫助那些孩子較多的家庭度過難關(guān)。但是所有旨在與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幍姆椒ǘ紵o濟于事，瑞士銀行家堅持說，最終，通貨膨脹對大家都不利。在英國，賣不出去的貨物落滿了灰塵，堆放在貨架上， 達(dá)到記錄，總價值超過一百億美元。昂貴的消費品，如汽車、櫥房用品、電視機、服裝和皮裝在滯銷產(chǎn)品中是最多的。德國人，他們具有戰(zhàn)勝通貨膨脹的記錄，正在限制氣油的使用，現(xiàn)在的價格為每加侖2.50美元。調(diào)查資料顯示，意大利人在減少用車，節(jié)省取暖費用，降低穿衣費用，并越來越熱衷于“自己動手修理”。
甚至連意大利的夜生活也受到通貨膨脹的影響。一為米蘭商人說：“餐館、*、及夜總會的大部分時間，賣座率只有一半。許多歐洲人與通貨膨脹相抗?fàn)幰阉憬?jīng)驗老道，但仍惶惶不可終日，和美國人不相上下。當(dāng)有人問瑞士人是怎樣使儲蓄存款免遭損失的，一位蘇黎士的銀行家回答說：“大部分人坐在角落哭泣，因為他們不知道怎么辦”。