quantitative easing

American  

noun

Economics.

1. the policy by which a central bank creates money and uses it to purchase financial assets, thereby increasing the money supply and stimulating a weak economy. QE

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quantitative easing British  

noun

1. the practice of increasing the supply of money in order to stimulate economic activity

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Etymology

Origin of quantitative easing

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, central banks globally have substantial holdings of government bonds and mortgage-backed securities, much of it acquired as part of quantitative easing programs.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

According to Warsh, quantitative easing is appropriate during emergencies but should be reversed during normal times to avoid inappropriate interference with the Treasury Department’s implementation of fiscal policies authorized by Congress.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Shrinking the balance sheet will offset at least some of the expansion generated by several rounds of quantitative easing that the Fed initiated during and after the 2008 and 2020 recessions.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Unwinding quantitative easing would reverse the Fed’s impact on asset and interbank markets, restoring the determination of interbank rates, long-term interest rates, mortgage spreads and equity prices to market forces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

One kind of monetary policy, which involves the central bank buying private assets, is chunked as quantitative easing.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker