to catch a falling knife

Swedish translation: fånga en fallande kniv

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English term or phrase:to catch a falling knife
Swedish translation:fånga en fallande kniv

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08:54 Dec 10, 2008
English to Swedish translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Investment / Securities
Additional field(s): Finance (general), Real Estate
English term or phrase: to catch a falling knife
Definition from wiseGEEK:
To catch a falling knife is a phrase used in investing terminology to describe a risky investment strategy. If you buy a stock that is dramatically lowering in value, you do so in the hopes that it will rebound shortly after you purchase it. The danger in trying to catch a falling knife is that the stock will continue to drop, causing you to lose money on an increasingly worthless investment. The phrase is a metaphor based on the idea that if you literally try to catch a falling knife, you may cut your hand.

Example sentence(s):
  • Buy, sell or hold? I think it is too late to sell. The question in my mind is whether to “catch a falling knife” or wait until there is some confirmation of a bottom in technical or fundamental terms. seekingalpha.com
  • The phrase perfectly captures the dangers of buying into a declining market. To do so is like trying to catch a falling knife: the momentum is all down, and we all know what happens to those who grasp a razor-sharp blade in mid-air. Charles Hugh Smith
  • Bargain-hunters tempted by the banks' falling share prices should beware the Square Mile adage; it's dangerous to catch a falling knife. Telegraph.co.uk
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fånga en fallande kniv
Definition:
Att köpa en kraftigt fallande aktie hävdas ibland vara som att "fånga en fallande kniv". Undertexten är att då man kan skada sig genom att fånga fallande knivar, bör man undvika att köpa fallande aktier.
Selected response from:

Mårten Sandberg
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of translations provided
5 +2fånga en fallande kniv
Mårten Sandberg
5 -1köpa grisen i säcken
Angelica Kjellström


  

Translations offered


139 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
köpa grisen i säcken


Definition from http://sv.wiktionary.org:
Köpa något som man inte vet vad det är och därmed hur värdefullt det är; göra något kostsamt som man inte vet vad man vinner på.

Example sentence(s):
  • "Man ska inte köpa grisen i säcken - en studie över due diligences betydelse i förvärvsprocessen." - Uppsatser  
  • "Att skaffa barn är att köpa grisen i säcken." - Allt om barn  
  • Heading: "Köpa grisen i säcken" - Allehanda  

Explanation:
Detta talesätt förekommer vid köp, där köparen inte tillräckligt noggrant har kontrollerat varan hon/han köper. Uttrycket uppstod under senmedeltiden, så oseriösa försäljare stoppade ibland en råtta eller en katt i säcken och påstod sedan vid försäljningen att säcken innehöll en griskulting."
Källa: http://sv.wiktionary.org
Angelica Kjellström
Sweden
Local time: 06:55
Native speaker of: Swedish

Votes in favor of/against selecting this as the best translation of the term asked
No  Mårten Sandberg: Absolutely not. It is a metaphor that works perfectly well to translate verbatim, and it is in fact widely used in Swedish ("fånga en fallande kniv"). This attempt to find a corresponding figure of speech does not convey the idea.
27 days
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167 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
fånga en fallande kniv


Definition from own experience or research:
Att köpa en kraftigt fallande aktie hävdas ibland vara som att "fånga en fallande kniv". Undertexten är att då man kan skada sig genom att fånga fallande knivar, bör man undvika att köpa fallande aktier.

Example sentence(s):
  • "Let the trend be your friend" och "Försök aldrig fånga en fallande kniv", brukar man få höra. - Affärsvärlden  

Explanation:
This is one opinion on stock buying strategy, it has nothing to do with the answerer's opinion on the matter.
Mårten Sandberg
Local time: 06:55
Native speaker of: Swedish
PRO pts in category: 12

Votes in favor of/against selecting this as the best translation of the term asked
Yes  Mikael Adolfsson: I totally agree; "köpa grisen i säcken" may be more known to most people, but "försök aldrig fånga en fallande kniv" is the correct translation!
33 days

Yes  Gunilla von Wachenfelt (X): Mårten har rätt;
61 days
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