what is ex ante
The term ex-ante (sometimes written ex ante or exante) is a phrase meaning before the event. Ex-ante is used most commonly in the commercial world, where results of a particular action, or series of actions, are forecast in advance (or intended). The opposite of ex-ante is ex-post (actual) (or ex post). Examples: 1  In the financial world, the ex-ante return is the expected return of an investment portfolio. 2  In the recruitment industry, ex-ante is often used when forecasting resource requirements on large future projects.