quantitative easing

noun

finance

: a set of government policies that may be implemented by a central bank to increase the money supply in the economy

The Fed has already done plenty with its unique stimulus program of quantitative easing, or QE, the $85 billion-a-month purchase of bonds and mortgage-backed assets that started pumping cash into the system in 2008.

—Rana Foroohar

Speculation is increasing that in an effort to stimulate the sluggish economy, the central bank will soon announce additional quantitative easing, the strategy of buying long-term assets like Treasury bonds to lower long-term interest rates.

—Christine Hauser

Since 2000, the Bank of Japan has progressively increased the intensity of its quantitative easing programs in response to stagnant growth and failures in its banking system.

—Blaine Luetkemeyer

—abbreviation QE

Examples of quantitative easing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Investors looking for a playbook can try to learn lessons from other examples of ultra-loose monetary policy, including periods of quantitative easing and near-zero rates in the U.S., Switzerland and the eurozone. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 13 Dec. 2024

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, the unconventional monetary policies of central banks in the global North—notably zero-interest-rate policies and quantitative easing—created vast amounts of liquidity and low returns. —Martín Abregú, Foreign Affairs, 27 Nov. 2024

Central banks' potentially moving towards more aggressive quantitative easing to mitigate economic slowdowns could enhance bitcoin's appeal as an inflation hedge, potentially accelerating its price appreciation. —Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024

Whether through rate cuts, quantitative easing, or other forms of liquidity injections, the financial system is increasingly reliant on monetary expansion to maintain even modest growth. —Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

Slashing rates, reviving quantitative easing, or even beginning new, untested stimulus efforts won’t be enough to prevent considerable pain for consumers and investors. —Will Daniel, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2024

At the time, asset prices across the board were artificially inflated by a mixture of zero interest rates and quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve. —Beth Greenfield, Fortune, 20 June 2024

At the same time quantitative easing has flooded funds with money. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024

This was quantitative easing, elites were liquidating resources and pouring more and more money into circulation. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above