To many developing countries, the trend is deeply worrying as well as bewildering —— the terms of trading have worsened dramatically for them. For the industrialized world, by contrast, the drop in commodity prices has been a real boon in the fight against inflation. The explanation for the general weakness in commodity prices is complex, and the factors in play will obviously vary greatly from one commodity to another. For example, while falling oil prices ought to provide a fillip to western economic growth —— and therefore, indirectly, to demand for other commodities —— they are bound to have other, perhaps less desirable, spin-offs.
对许多发展中国家来说,这种趋势不仅令人困惑而且还非常令人担忧——对他们来说贸易条件已经明显恶化。相反对于工业化国家来说初级商品价格的下跌却是医治通货膨胀的一剂良药。对初级商品价格普遍降低的解释是复杂的,造成这种现象的因素因初级商品的不同而有很大不同。比如说,虽然下跌的油价应会刺激西方经济的增长——并因此间接地刺激对其他初级商品的需求——而这样的油价也一定会有其他的也许并不那么有益的副作用。
