FINANCIAL ACCELERATOR

A financial theory stating that a small change in financial market can produce a large change in economic conditions and create a feedback loop. The theory is attributed to Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and fellow economists Mark Gertler and Simon Gilchrist. Bernanke's belief in the financial accelerator may account for some of his policy decisions, such as cutting interest rates in the wake of the credit crisis of 2008-2010.