hot money

noun

: investment funds intended for the highest short-term rate of return

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Before the 2015-16 crisis, China’s focus was curbing inflows of hot money betting on a rising yuan rather than stopping outflows, said Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered Bank. Quentin Webb, WSJ, 22 May 2022 Some fear that foreign investors who increasingly pour hot money into African startups could be spooked. Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2022 But there is a catch: Without a ready supply of hot money from overseas, officials turned to the banks themselves for foreign currency. Jon Sindreu, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2021 That is because hot money flowing quickly in and out of their debt can make prices volatile and potentially drive away other buyers, which could increase their borrowing costs. Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, 10 May 2021 Skeptics would argue that the recent rotation is simply a further sign of exuberance—hot money spilling from one market sector into another. Mike Bird, WSJ, 10 May 2021 And there could be more hot money coming down the pipe. Alex Longley, Bloomberg.com, 13 Dec. 2020 With the cost of produce skyrocketing in China, hot money is flooding toward fresh-food operators. Washington Post, 3 July 2019 As developing countries from Indonesia to Argentina have discovered, a nation that relies on hot money from abroad is an unstable one. Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hot money.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot money was in 1936

Dictionary Entries Near hot money

Cite this Entry

“Hot money.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20money. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on hot money

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


A Good Old-Fashioned Quiz

Spell It

Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY