Methods used in management that are based on evaluating dimensions other than pure numbers. Characteristics like worse than, more important than, harder than, or bigger than can indicate qualitative measures. Used sometimes instead of, sometimes along with quantitative methods.

Used in Risk Manegement as many attributes can be hard to quantify (though this is a somewhat contentious subject in some quarters).

A tactic used by Central Banks to add liquidity to the system. In the most recent case (called QE2, as a pun on the fact that it was the second round and the QE2 was a huge cruise ship) the US Federal Reserve Bank bought government debt from banks. The purpose was to raise their capital levels giving them more funds to lend, and to make their subsequent lending less expensive.

Methods in Risk Management that use numbers and models and ideally statistical data and methods to determine probable outcomes.

Contrast with Qualitative Methods.