In the UK, the BOE incrementally raises the ceiling of its QE asset purchase program to £375 billion, most of which is used to purchase UK Government securities. In the Euro area, the ECB has undertaken a series of longer-term refinancing operations since 2008: two rounds of covered bond purchase programs in 2009 and 2011; an unlimited securities market program in 2010; and open-ended outright monetary transactions in 2012. In Japan, the Central Bank cumulatively increases the size of its comprehensive monetary easing to as much as ¥101 trillion by the end of 2012. More recently, the BOJ launched perhaps the boldest monetary easing in modern history with the intention to double the monetary base in two years through aggressively purchasing government bonds, exchange-traded funds, as well as real estate investment trusts. Thus, increasing the size of their balance sheets has become the primary means by which Central Banks in these economies have intervened to bring relief to the ongoing economic downturn. By adopting unconventional measures of monetary easing, Central Banks seek mainly to stimulate growth, bring down joblessness to reasonable levels and support their banking systems by pumping more money into the economy to boost spending. However, some critics worry that these measures would fuel inflation and encourage unbridled government spending.