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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quantitative easing

It’s not quite quantitative easing, because the Federal Reserve is lending Japan money in return for temporary ownership of Treasurys in repurchase agreements, rather than outright buying the Treasurys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Later dubbed "quantitative easing", such upheavals included the 1980s savings and loan crisis, the first Gulf War, the Mexican peso crisis and - shortly after he had retired - the global credit crisis in 2008.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

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

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

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