Quantitative easing is an economic position to increase the monetary policy in which the total money supply is increased by the Federal Reserve buying government Treasury bonds. The goal is to encourage private banks to lend more and help reduce the effects of an economic recession. First used by Japan in 2000 to fight a deflationary economy. The 2010 and 2011 actions of Federal Chairman Ben Bernanke is to buy U.S. government bonds, with borrowed money, to help America out of a recession. By creating more dollars out of thin air, the dollar becomes devalued with the existing money supply versus other currencies. This policy of creating additional money to give to banks so that they lend more is highly questionable. The banks were largely responsible for the Great Recession and the increased money for banks have failed to produce the desired effect even after the Central Bank's $1.7 trillion purchase. The short term gains are minimal and in the long term, this will eventually lead to higher prices and inflation or even hyper-inflation.