"Tortoise Economy"

 

An economy that is growing slowly or not at all over time. The classic example of a tortoise economy is the Japanese economy during the Lost Decade in the 1990s. During that time, interest rates remained near 0% while economic expansion was non-existent.

The phrase "tortoise economy" was first popularized by Robert Reich in his description of the U.S. economy during the financial crisis that began in 2007-08. In the years following the recession, U.S. growth remained slow, and interest rates were very low.