身边的经济学·社会常识英语30篇（2）

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实际利率与名义利率

Your bank says it pays 5% interest on savings—but if prices rose 3% last year, your gain was only 2% in real terms.
Nominal rate is the number on the page; real rate subtracts inflation’s quiet erosion.
Lenders care about real returns: they want buying power, not just bigger digits in an account.
When inflation spikes, central banks often raise nominal rates fast—to protect real value.
Borrowers benefit from low real rates: paying back loans with cheaper future dollars feels easier.
But savers suffer silently—earning 1% nominal while inflation runs at 4% means losing ground.
Most news reports mention nominal numbers only, leaving readers unaware of true gains or losses.
A quick mental check—'What did prices do last year?'—turns raw percentages into meaningful insight.
Understanding this difference helps compare CDs, bonds, or peer-to-peer lending wisely.
Money grows on paper—but only keeps pace if it beats inflation’s steady march.