Identifying a Dead Cat Bounce

A dead cat bounce is a price pattern used by technical analysts. It is considered a continuation pattern, where at first the bounce may appear to be a reversal of the prevailing trend, but it is quickly followed by a continuation of the downward price move. It becomes a dead cat bounce (and not a reversal) after price drops below its prior low. Short-term traders may attempt to profit from the small rally, and traders and investors may try to use the temporary reversal as a good opportunity to initiate a short position.

Similar to identifying a market peak or trough, recognizing a dead cat bounce ahead of time is fraught with difficulty, even for skilled investors. In March 2009, for example, Nouriel Roubini of New York University referred to the incipient stock market recovery as a dead cat bounce, predicting that the market would reverse course in short order and plummet to new lows. In fact, March 2009 marked the beginning of a protracted bull market, eventually surpassing its pre-recession high.

Dead Cat Bounce Example

Stock prices for Cisco Systems Inc. peaked at $82 per share in March 2000 before falling to $15.81 in March 2001 amid the dotcom collapse. Cisco saw many dead cat bounces in the ensuing years. The stock recovered to $20.44 by November 2001, only to fall to $10.48 by September 2002. As of June 2016, Cisco trades at $28.47 per share, barely one-third of its peak price during the tech bubble in 2000.