经济学人 | 为什么说房贷最好提前还？

正文

请到「今天看啥」查看全文

即便在利率上升、新发放房贷成本翻倍甚至三倍后，那些锁定了 2020 年代初诱人利率的业主们依然幸福地生活在过去。更妙的是，推高利率的通胀反而大幅削减了债务的实际价值。

Alas, the holiday is now over for many. Although American fixed rates often last for decades, most in Britain and swathes of continental Europe expire after five years or less. It was in early 2022 that the last of the dirt-cheap loans disappeared, after which borrowing costs began climbing fast.

可惜对多数人而言，假期已告终结。虽然美国固定利率通常持续数十年，但英国及欧洲大陆多数地区普遍采用五年或更短期限。 2022 年初，最后一批超低利率贷款消失后，借贷成本便开始快速攀升。

A large number of mortgage-holders, in other words, have either seen their interest bills rocket recently or will do soon. For those with spare cash to hand, a question that seemed remote a few years ago is suddenly a great deal more pressing. Should they repay the debt early?

这意味着大量房贷客户要么已面临利息激增，要么即将面临这一冲击。对于手头有闲钱的人，几年前还遥不可及的问题突然变得迫在眉睫：是否应该提前还贷？

To many who owed money during the 1980s, when interest rates soared into the double digits, the answer is an obvious “yes”. At the time, borrowing costs became so elevated that merely meeting them, let alone repaying any capital in addition, was a constant struggle.

对那些经历过 1980 年代两位数利率时期的人来说，答案显然是肯定的。当年借贷成本高企，仅支付利息已捉襟见肘，更遑论额外偿还本金。

The risk of that being repeated is simply not worth taking. Better, then, to pay all debt off at the earliest opportunity, while doing so is still possible. Even if rates stay where they are at present, that will save money on future interest bills.

这种风险绝对不值得重蹈覆辙，最佳选择就是在尚有余力时尽早清偿债务。即便利率维持当前水平，也能节省未来利息支出。

Those whose experience was shaped by more recent decades might feel rather differently. Interest rates have spent most of that time on a downward trend, culminating in the ultra-loose monetary policy seen during the covid-19 pandemic. Next to that, it is the hikes of the past few years that look like an aberration .

但受近几十年经历影响的人群可能有不同看法。这期间利率长期下行，在新冠疫情期间更是达到超宽松货币政策的顶点。相比之下，近年来的加息反而像是异常波动。

请到「今天看啥」查看全文