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

This caused fire sales of securities, driving down values and spreading the losses.

From The Wall Street Journal

Sponsors of the funds in most cases are enforcing their redemption caps, which were designed to prevent fire sales of illiquid assets at times like this.

From Barron's

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