What to know before 'buying the dip'

Purchasing a stock once it has fallen in value can pay off — or cost you big

Close-up of a woman's face with a computer reflection of stock charts in her eyeglasses
Buying the dip 'could be risky given it's tough to determine if the market will keep falling'
(Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images)

Downward trends in the stock market can spark an array of reactions. Some nervous investors may feel tempted to sell off tanking stocks, while others may see the downturn as a buying opportunity.

Although the former aforementioned investor wants to get out before the going gets worse, the latter group is banking on the fact that the stocks they buy now, which have declined in price, will increase in value once the market levels back out. Known as 'buying the dip,' this strategy can pan out — but it is not a sure-fire bet.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Becca Stanek, The Week US

Becca Stanek has worked as an editor and writer in the personal finance space since 2017. She previously served as a deputy editor and later a managing editor overseeing investing and savings content at LendingTree and as an editor at the financial startup SmartAsset, where she focused on retirement- and financial-adviser-related content. Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.