In this segment of Wall Street Lingo, Todd M. Schoenberger explains tightening (raising the fed funds target and/or shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet) and easing (cutting rates and/or expanding the balance sheet) in plain English—why central banks do it, and how it ripples through stocks, bonds, mortgages, and the dollar. We’ll connect the dots from Volcker’s 1980s inflation fight to 1994’s “soft-landing” playbook, 2008–2020’s QE era, and today’s backdrop: the Fed holding at 4.25%–4.50% after 2024 rate cuts while officials debate when to ease next, and the ECB already trimming rates in June 2025.

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