Minsky moment

noun

A sudden, major collapse of asset values which marks the end of the growth phase of a cycle in credit markets or business activity.

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Meanings

nounMinsky moment (plural Minsky moments)

plural Minsky moments

  1. A sudden, major collapse of asset values which marks the end of the growth phase of a cycle in credit markets or business activity.

    Notice, however, that some economists argued that the US subprime crisis was not a “Minsky moment” (see Davidson, 2008).

    2015, Louis-Philippe Rochon, Sergio Rossi, editors, The Encyclopedia of Central Banking, Edward Elgar Publishing, →ISBN, page 317

Origin

Coined by Paul McCulley in 1998, named after economist Hyman Minsky (1919–1996).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Minsky moment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Minsky%20moment

MLA

“Minsky moment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Minsky%20moment. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Minsky moment,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Minsky%20moment.

Source: Minsky moment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.