Big central bank assets jump fastest in 5 years to US$21t

New York

THE world's biggest central banks are bulking up their balance sheets this year at the fastest pace since 2011's European debt crisis to boost lacklustre economic recoveries with asset purchases that are supporting stock and bond prices.

The 10 largest lenders now own assets totalling US$21.4 trillion, a 10 per cent increase from the end of last year, data collected by Bloomberg shows. Their combined holdings grew by 3 per cent or less in both 2015 and 2014.