Downtrend

It's a technical trading term. The stock was at $28 last quarter. Then, a month later, it hovered around $26. Then, a month after that, it kissed $22.

The trend: it's not your friend (if you're long the stock, anyway).

A relatively steady decline in the price of asset, or item of value, over a specified period of time is a downtrend. These chartist charts function a bit like an on-again off-again relationship. They don’t necessarily move in straight lines, and include short-term fluctuations when the value of an asset (or perhaps a relationship?) rise and then fall again. You can't view a forest with a microscope inspecting bark—you have to get one of those awesome Chinese drones and fly way over it to properly recognize a downtrend.

Imagine the lines on the polygraph chart you’d like to inflict on your sometimes ex—what you’re looking for in the lines on the page are lower highs and lower lows that fit within a broader pattern of decline that signals you may want to cut bait. Keyword: Tinder.