easy money
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Easy money
See: Tight money
Copyright © 2012, Campbell R. Harvey. All Rights Reserved.
Cheap Money
A monetary policy in which a central bank sets low interest rates so that credit is easily attainable. This makes borrowing easy for business, which stimulates investment and expansion of operations. The immediate result of cheap money is a boost in stock prices; in the medium term, cheap money promotes economic growth. However, if cheap money remains in the economy for too long, it can lead to a situation in which there is a glut of currency or too many dollars chasing too few goods and services leading to inflation. For this reason, most central banks alternate between policies of cheap money and tight money in varying degrees to encourage growth while keeping inflation under control.
Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved
easy money
A condition of the money supply in which the Federal Reserve permits substantial funds to accrue in the banking system, thereby cutting interest rates and facilitating the acquisition of loans. In the resultant period when borrowing is relatively easy and inexpensive, security prices may be initially stimulated. But an extended period of easy money eventually may depress security values as investors begin to fear inflation. Also called cheap money. Compare tight money.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.