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

It was in a position to use the inflation spiral to its advantage, allowing the central bank to finally unwind its long-standing quantitative easing program.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

One came in April 2010, following the end to the first round of quantitative easing to deal with the global financial crisis, with a flash crash for the S&P 500 that May.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

Warsh served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, and left the central bank after it embarked on a second round of quantitative easing through bond purchases under then-Chair Ben Bernanke.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026

Some economists linked the growth in banks’ uninsured deposits in recent years to quantitative easing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 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