金融引き締め

• Reading: きんゆうひきしめ
• Romaji: kinyu hikishime
• Kanji breakdown: 金 (kin) — money; 融 (yu) — flow; 引 (hiki) — pull; 締 (shime) — tighten, clamp
• Pronunciation: /kin.jɯː.çi.ki.ɕi.me/

Meaning

Monetary tightening; credit squeeze. A central bank policy of tightening monetary conditions, typically by raising interest rates or reducing the money supply, to curb inflation.

The opposite of 金融緩和. 金融引き締め makes borrowing more expensive, cooling demand and curbing inflation. The US Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes in 2022–2023 are a prominent recent example of rapid 金融引き締め. Excessive tightening risks triggering a recession — central banks must balance inflation control against growth. 利上げ (rate hike) is the most common specific measure.

Examples

1. インフレ抑制のため、中央銀行は急速な金融引き締めへと方針を転換した。 To curb inflation, the central bank shifted its policy towards rapid monetary tightening.
2. 金融引き締めが進むにつれ、企業の借り入れコストが着実に上昇し始めた。 As monetary tightening progressed, borrowing costs for businesses began to rise steadily.
3. 過度な金融引き締めは景気を冷やしすぎるとして、市場では警戒感が高まっている。 Market wariness is growing over concerns that excessive monetary tightening will cool the economy too much.

Usage Guide

Context: monetary policy, central banking, macroeconomics, inflation control

Tone: technical

Origin & History

Compound of 金融 (finance) and 引き締め (tightening, drawing tight — 引く to pull + 締める to tighten). The physical image of pulling a rope tight captures the restrictive nature of the policy.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Academic/Finance