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Glite Dictionary
dead cat bounce

dead cat bounce

1 9.3
A short rise in price after a long fall that then goes down again
  • noun
  • /dɛd kæt baʊns/
  • Jargon
translation icon : rebote de gato muerto
  • "Recovery, or dead-cat bounce?

Examples

  • Dead cat bounces for a while, and then a huge drop is coming up by the end of this year.

    Blog text (23)

  • Many analysts believe the current rise in stock prices is merely a dead cat bounce before the market declines further.

  • Right now, it looks like a falling knife that just had a dead cat bounce.

    Blog text (12)

  • We'll know soon enough whether this reflects a dead-cat bounce or the beginning of a rebound.

    Blog text (16)

  • But unkind economists might call it a dead-cat bounce.

    Blog text (14)

  • I keep trying to explain we've just come off the dead-cat bounce in housing, and it's downhill from here for at least another decade.

    Blog text (20)

  • Friday's little rally was probably just a head fake or dead cat bounce, and while some may have been buying, the pros were probably selling into the pump.

    Blog text (22)

  • After a series of losses, investors are hoping this small uptick is not just a dead cat bounce but a sign of recovery.

  • The latest figures show a temporary increase in sales, which some experts warn could be just a dead cat bounce before another downturn.

Synonyms

retracement
vsdead cat bounce
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A short price move against the main trend in markets

occurs after a decline and signals a brief rise before further falls

Antonyms

uptrend
  • Specialized
2 4.0

A time when prices or values keep rising in markets

How Temporary

dead cat bounce
  • Jargon
1 9.3
rally
  • Specialized
21 4.0
to rebound
42 4.3
to reflate
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Surface Forms

dead cat bounce singular
dead cat bounces plural

Morphology

dead + cat + bounce

The phrase is a vivid, culture-specific financial metaphor: literal meanings of 'dead', 'cat' and 'bounce' do not combine to predict 'a brief, temporary recovery in a falling market'. Because the meaning depends on idiomatic metaphor and domain-specific usage rather than transparent composition, a B1 learner who knows the constituents would not reliably infer the intended sense.

Etymology

The noun dead cat bounce comes from a grim image: a dead cat may seem to bounce once when dropped, but then it falls still. People use this picture to show a price that rises only for a short time during a longer fall, so the phrase means 'a short, temporary recovery' in a falling market.