Liquidity Trap

Liquidity Trap

A recession during which banks are unwilling to lend and nominal interest rates are already at or near zero. Because interest rates are so low, the central bank can do nothing further to expand the money supply. At the same time investors are unwilling to invest to help the economy grow because banks are unwilling to lend because their returns are so low. This extends the recession and indeed makes it worse. Many economists believe that the best way to end a liquidity trap is a money gift, where the government directly transfers money to consumers in hopes that they will spend it to spur investment.