Quantitative easing and helicopter money: Not the same impact on inflation
When a central bank practices quantitative easing, it buys bonds from other central banks, institutional investors or banks, and pays by creating money. The bond seller who receives the money will reinvest it in other financial or real estate assets, which means that the normal consequence of quantitative easing is a rise in asset prices. When the central bank practices helicopter money, it gives money to economic agents (households or companies), or, in an equivalent manner, it monetises the fiscal deficits that result from public transfer payments to these economic agents. Households and companies can also use this money to buy assets, and there is then no difference from quantitative easing; but they can spend some of this money on purchases of goods and services, and there is then a difference, i.e. the positive impact of helicopter money on goods and services prices.