美國通貨膨脹率居高不下，使得工薪階層艱難維持生計。美國勞工統計局的數據顯示，4月消費者價格指數（CPI）同比上漲8.3%，以近40年來最快的年增長速度增長。物價上漲使美國民眾的家庭預算非常緊張。美國在線借貸平臺LendingClub的一份報告顯示，截至今年3月，64%的美國人成為月光族。

Inflation is showing no signs of slowing down, making it harder for workers to make ends meet.
美國的高通脹沒有緩和跡象，這使得工薪階層艱難維持生計。

The Consumer Price Index increased 8.3% from a year ago, higher than the 8.1% estimate, according to the US Bureau of Statistics.
美國勞工統計局的數據顯示，美國消費者價格指數（CPI）同比上漲8.3%，高于8.1%的預期。

Although it was down slightly from the March peak, inflation is still growing at the fastest annual pace in about four decades.
盡管通脹率略低于3月份的峰值，但仍在以近40年來最快的年增長速度增長。

"Rising prices are putting household budgets in a vise," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. "Price increases are widespread, but look at food and shelter — which together account for 40% of the weighting in the CPI and more than that for many households."
銀率網首席金融分析師格雷格·麥克布萊德稱：“物價上漲使美國民眾的家庭預算非常緊張。物價上漲是普遍現象，但看看食品和住房——這兩項占CPI權重的40%，對許多家庭來說，二者占更高。”

Food prices are up at the fastest pace in more than 41 years and the shelter index, which makes up about one-third of the CPI weighting, was up 5.1% on a yearly basis, its fastest gain since March 1991.
食品價格正以逾41年來的最快速度上漲，占CPI權重約三分之一的住房價格指數同比上漲5.1%，為1991年3月以來的最快漲幅。

While wage growth is high by historical standards, it isn't keeping up with the increased cost of living.
雖然按歷史標準來看工資的增長較高，但卻跟不上生活成本的上漲。

As of March, close to two-thirds, or 64%, of the US population was living paycheck to paycheck, just shy of the high of 65% in 2020, according to a LendingClub report.
美國在線借貸平臺LendingClub的一份報告顯示，截至今年3月，近三分之二（64%）的美國人成為月光族，略低于2020年65%的高點。

"The number of people living paycheck to paycheck today is reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic and it has become the dominant lifestyle across income brackets," said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub's financial health officer.
LendingClub財務健康官阿努伊·納亞爾稱：“如今，月光族的數量讓人想起新冠疫情初期，‘月光’已經成為不同收入階層中占主導地位的生活方式。”

Consumers who are struggling to afford their day-to-day lifestyle tend to rely more on credit cards and carry higher monthly balances making them financially vulnerable, the survey of more than 2,600 adults found.
這項針對2600多名成年人的調查發現，那些難以負擔日常生活花銷的消費者往往更依賴信用卡，而且月余額較高，這讓他們的財務狀況更脆弱。

Overall, credit card balances rose year over year, reaching $841 billion in the first three months of 2022, according to a separate report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
紐約聯邦儲備銀行的另一份報告顯示，總體而言，信用卡余額逐年增長，2022年頭三個月達到8410億美元（約合人民幣57130億元）。

At this rate, balances could soon reach record levels amid higher prices for gas, groceries and housing, among other necessities, according to Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com.
CreditCards網站高級行業分析師泰德·羅斯曼表示，按照這個速度，隨著汽油、食品雜貨和住房等必需品價格的上漲，信用卡余額可能很快打破紀錄。

Anyone with revolving debt will also see the annual percentage rate on their credit card head higher as the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates to try and tamp down rising prices.
由于美聯儲試圖通過加息抑制通貨膨脹，循環債務持有者的信用卡年息也將提高。

來源：CNBC
編輯：董靜