fire sale

American  

noun

1. a special sale of merchandise actually or supposedly damaged by fire.

2. a sale, as of assets, at reduced prices, in order to raise money quickly.

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fire sale British  

noun

1. a sale of goods at reduced prices after a fire at a shop or factory

2. 1. any instance of offering goods or assets at greatly reduced prices to ensure a quick sale

   2. ( as modifier )

      fire-sale prices

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Other Word Forms

• fire-sale adjective

Etymology

Origin of fire sale

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95

Example Sentences

But where you could see trouble, he added, is if a bank gets worried about loan performance and the need to sell assets emerges, which could force fire sales.

From MarketWatch

Mark-to-market accounting, valuing assets at current prices, is amplifying pain in private credit by creating “fire sale” prices.

From Barron's

Concerns include whether ongoing redemptions could prompt fire sales of assets, or lead to higher funding costs that cut into earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even if I distributed the proceeds from a fire sale to them, our staff would struggle.

From MarketWatch

A sudden loss of faith in a stablecoins could see them cashed in all at once, prompting a "fire sale" of their reserve assets that "could affect the functioning of US Treasury markets", they wrote.

From Barron's