Offended by "dead cat bounce?" Do better.

Earlier today I horrified at least one reader, and probably a few more, by using the Wall Street cliche "dead cat bounce" to describe the very slight increase in home sales from October to November.

I happen to like the phrase because, in addition to summoning the swaggering, seventh grade humor of the trading floor, it is descriptive and easily understood: Is that a sign of life in the housing market? No, it's just bouncing like a dead cat would after a long fall.

(Don't knock seventh grade humor. It was funny).

But the aptly named commenter "Whatiswrongwithyoupeople" took offense, writing, "What kind of people use terms like 'dead cat bounce?'  "Whatis" later added, "My point was it's a sickening phrase, Traders use it, and you complain that realtors are scum."

Point taken. My mother would probably agree. And I do like cats, by the way. So I said to "Whatis," and say to the rest of you, if you don't like "dead cat bounce," let's see if you can do better. I will happily stop using the phrase provided someone here can provide a substitute that is equal to the task -- it needs to be pithy, short, and descriptive of the cruelly misleading nature of a false bounce off the bottom.

Personally I doubt anyone will do better, but I invite you to try.  Feel free to defend "dead cat bounce," if you like it.
Photo Credit: Pamela, by Coco, submitted to Your Scene at LATimes.com.

Comments

[SReynolds]

"Dead puppies, dead puppies are not that much fun". Sing it with me....How about what's brown, white and red? a tabby in a blender. What do you call a cat run over by a diesel....a sail cat. I knew this blog would start being more fun.

[perks]

As a journalist, you should already know that no matter what you say, or how delicately you say it, you're going to piss someone off. I for one find the analogy quite fitting, and not offensive in the least. I mean, the cat's dead...who CARES if it's bouncing? (For the record, I have two cats at home.)

Now, I'm off to play a round of Kitten Cannon... http://www.burststudio.com/kitten.html

[Keith]

I like dead cat bounce too. I however do not like cats. What else really captures the flavor of the moment? It's a real cat-tastrophe you know?

A closely related term is "sucker rally".

Would anyone be offended by "dead house bounce"?

Lefty - I know, anytime people start using cute phrases and dreaming up new sayings about the market, means it's a great time to buy in Metro LA! Get in while the prices are low, low , low and maximize your returns!! (sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder :P )

[original thinker]

I love a good "dead cat bounce"!

The trick is in not attempting to catch the poor cat
as he plunges (like a falling knife). Wait until the
energy of his terminal velocity bounces him back
into the air. Then short his bruised butt on the
second drop back to earth. In this particular
real estate example, the poor cat has just hit
the 72nd-floor set-back on his plunge from
the 86th-floor observatory. Now, he's set for
the real plunge to terra firma (read: reality below).
Should there be anymore annoying ledges on the
way down, just hang tight with our furry friend.
You'll know the real bottom when he bounces,
twice. That's why they call it a "double-bottom".
Now, what kind of a person is going to be offended
by a good double-bottom?

[Matt]

How about a " Dead Snakes Bite"??? :)

[sunsetbeachguy]

Outdoor cats are a scourge on society.

They spread Toxo plasmosis to my kid's playground sand, kill native bird populations and are the lone companion for large numbers of crazy, angry middle aged divorced or single women.

(watch for the imminently rational cat defending posts) (sarcasm)

Dead Cat Bounce is entirely appropriate. Keep it!

If you love your cat keep it indoors, it is a dangerous world out there.

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2007/11/07/index.html
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2007/11/07/
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/
index.html

[Ed]

Tell "whatis" to get a damn life.

[SReynolds]

I got 1393 feet on kitty cannon, I like it when the little sucker gets consumed by the venus flytrap, now that was fun. I think we should be able to load a subprime borrower into the cannon next.

[Dan]

How about "Shav Glick Bounce". Oh wait, that's enormously offensive. Hmmm... get my point. By the way, I really admired Shav and had the great fortune of actually being interviewed by him on several occassions.

[enlightenment]

Stop it right now and grow up! Society is getting tired of all you Politically Correct (PC) wimps forcing your overly sensitive view on the rest of us! If you can't handle common words or phases, then turn off your tv...unplug the internet...burn your newspaper...lock yourself in your basement...and most of all - shut up!

The term "Dead Cat Bounce" is a simple funny phase, and should NEVER be changed! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_bounce

101 Uses for a Dead Cat:
http://www.amazon.com/101-Uses-Dead-Simon-
Bond/dp/0517545160

Enought wasted time, so now lets get back to the main topic of this blogg!!!

[Cochise]

In a market where most of you have never been before, you would be well advised to remember that it is said "Once a Gila Monster has bitten your neighborhood valuations, you may even cut off it's head, but it's jaw will never relax it's grip until well past sunrise." Of course the body will have already bounced at least once, but the massive vise grip upon America shall not be released before mid to late 2009, when modest housing revivals might begin to be seen. Or was it "sundown of the next day", I forget, then we're looking at THREE years down the road. Heads/recession, tails/depression.

[toby]

How about a "flat ball bounce".

But really, I see nothing wrong with the dead cat thing. But then again, I'm not the biggest fan of cats (their love hurts, even when they're just licking you).

So what do I know.

[Cal]

If it makes Whatiswrongwithyoupeople feel any better, I am sure the cat wasn't dead before it hit the ground.

[WhatKindOfPeopleDon'tLikeDeadCatBounce]

I think it's a great phrase... and good ol' Wikipedia even has an explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_bounce

I can't think of a better phrase, where's Sir Isaac Newton when you need him?

How about "deceased feline rebound"

l.a.guy

[LPB]

How about "Dead overbearing and humorless animal rights activist who has nothing else going on in their life" bounce?

[sid]

How about a "Shaq free throw bounce?"

Otherwise, keep the dead cat. I like dogs.

[Tired of the politically correct]

The PC crowd is at it again.
Do PC people have absolutely no humor? It's a common expression. Get over it!
And Peter, keep up the good work with this blog.

[everything is gonna be okay]

enligntenment---------
Stop it right now and grow up! Society is getting tired of all you Politically Correct (PC) wimps forcing your overly sensitive view on the rest of us! If you can't handle common words or phases, then turn off your tv...unplug the internet...burn your newspaper...lock yourself in your basement...and most of all - shut up!
---------------------------------------------------------------

I agree (except for the "shut up" part....we need to respect everyone's voice, even if we don't agree)

But really, I can't imagine why Peter would stop using a phrase based on one person's complaint...PC-ness is annoying.

A complaint was voiced, heard, and we can all say "sorry YOU are offended"...and move on. It's her problem, not everyone elses. Everybody needs to take personal responsibility for their own lives...

[Michael Snyder]

I like cats. Cats are straight forward and honest. with out exception, every cat I know is good at being a cat.
How about dead Bush bounce?
Unless you pull that bush out of the ground you'll find none of the appealing virtues of a cat. Bush is neither straight forward or honest.
Da Vinci showed objects of different mass drop at the same rate, but he never addressed the bounce.
I wonder if Hillary will add another earmark to cover this experiment.

[jaded]

how about "dead baby bounce"? Because, hey, the baby was dead before it hit the ground, it's funny, it's descriptive, and PC people who find it offensive should just get a life.

casual cruelty can be so hysterical.

[D]

I have two cats and enjoy the description but if you want a substitute, how about "head fake" a basketball analogy that means the player looks like he is going up to take a shot but is really heading another direction. Or if you like, "air bounce" from a frisbee being thrown and initially it takes a quick jump up but as we all know, the thing is coming down as the laws of nature require.

[FM71]

Lefty - I know, anytime people start using cute phrases and dreaming up new sayings about the market, means it's a great time to buy in Metro LA! Get in while the prices are low, low , low and maximize your returns!! (sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder :P )

Posted by: Keith

LOL! Nice one Keith. Lefty is a lot like that crazy Uncle that we all have and blow off every time he has something crazy to say. Even hough he eats too much, drinks too much, talks too much, makes a complete foll of himself and is generally a nuisance at Thanksgiving Dinner, he gives the guests something to talk about. Crazy Uncle Lefty must have misplaced his pom-pom's at the NAR pep rally because he's been awfully quiet lately.

I'd like to now quote the ever popular Nelson Muntz "Hah, Haaah!"

[Tombstone Realty]

OMG! UR So MEAN!!! U R cerul to Amimules!!!

Dead cat bounce wasn't meant to sound "pleasant". It was meant to be descriptive.

I'd be far more descriptive: "Wow, those rates dropped like an fried squirrel on a powerline!!"

I'd like to thank perks for giving me another way to blow my workday....

[Hula Girl]

If you think Dead Cat Bouncing is bad, try Kitlers - Cats that look like Hitler. www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com. Uncanny resemblances..For the record, I'm Jewish and so is my cat (who looks like Howard Stern).

[bailmeout]

How bout dead lender bounce?

[Ocean Park Vet]

Hey! This Dead cat stuff ain't funny. Truth is, dead cats DON'T bounce........try it sometime.

[seattlesnoop]

Dead cat bounce. Is that considered out of bounds in that old chidhood game "kick the cat"?
What? Opps, you're suppose to play that game with a can? My bad!

[Mike S]

Amazing how a dead cat cliche generates twice the comments of market deflation postings.

Hmm... maybe it really is sinking in that when you treat your housing as a commodity and buy long you'll suffer just like some dimwitted commodity investor should.

I don't see Congress trying to bail out pork-belly and copper traders who are under right now. What makes homeowners different than their commodity trading brethren? It was all about money and status instead of focused inward on family.

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

Which do you prefer:

1> All cats are Schroedinger cats in that you don't know if they are dead or live until you open the box. That is the quantum reality. But since a lot of people can't handle uncertainties like that, for examaple, Einstein said famously, 'God doesn't play dice,' it is good, i.e. assuring, that we know with certainty we have a dead cat. The world is again the best of all worlds, Candide. Phew!

2. That's just 50% Fibonacci retracement. Sorry, 3% Fibonacci retracement. Here, let me draw the chart for you so you can see. See that? See that? You are not very mathematical, are you?

3. Nah, it's just a dead cat bounce.

Tell me, which is, as Bill O'Reiley would say, 'pithy?'

PS: What happened to 'catching a falling knife?'

[Uncle Billy]

FM71: great, now you've linked annoying posters with uncles.

Regarding offending term: Perhaps we can keep it, but tone it down with some cockney rhyming slang, or just use the acronym DCB. "The market had a misleading dcb today." Nah... pc is just too annoying to make any accomodations for it.

[sunsetbeachguy]

Ocean Park Vet:

That is part of the gallows humor of Wall Street.

The preamble to the story is:

"If you drop a dead cat from high enough, you will get a dead cat bounce."

I am sure the mythbusters could get a dead cat to bounce. They won't do it though.

The quote above is totally appropo for this housing market. It has gone off the pretty high cliff and it is going to bounce on each ledge before headed down some more to find fundamental support in rents and incomes.

[Uncle Billy]

Here's a cat that found a way to make a fortune from our little mortgage mouse:

http://tinyurl.com/34fuh8

This is a from a series of articles on bloomberg.com that traces most of the story from sleezy ferrari crashing lenders through the slick sushi and pastrami eating traders.

[perks]

Ocean Park Vet -- perhaps you just need to try dropping the cat from a greater height?? I bet if you dropped it from the height of the housing market a couple years ago, it would bounce at least a couple of times.

[mike]

i love cats. i think its horrible that you said that...............

but i told both my cats the joke and they thought it was a crackup!!!!!!!!!!!

mike

[L-Dog]

Dead Cat Bouncing....is that a new dance or an other plate that taste like chicken...yummy...

[peter]

First you use a juvenile phrase, then you defend it on the basis that it has a "swaggering, seventh grade" feel. Then you call attention to it again by creating another post about it. I'm so glad to know that the LA Times is in the hands of adults and that you take the feelings of your readers seriously. So, Mr. Viles, I hope you're enjoying the kinds of comments that your cute little phrase brought out in some of the readers of this blog. Animal cruelty is, after all, so very hilarious, and screw people if they're too politically correct to share the joke.

[Cal]

"First you use a juvenile phrase, then you defend it on the basis that it has a "swaggering, seventh grade" feel. Then you call attention to it again by creating another post about it. I'm so glad to know that the LA Times is in the hands of adults and that you take the feelings of your readers seriously. So, Mr. Viles, I hope you're enjoying the kinds of comments that your cute little phrase brought out in some of the readers of this blog. Animal cruelty is, after all, so very hilarious, and screw people if they're too politically correct to share the joke.

Posted by: peter | December 19, 2007 at 02:21 PM"

Remind me not to invite this guy to my Christmas party.

[Vick]

We're in a real dogfight over this cat thing huh?

[mbob]

Most LA County Animal Care and Control shelters have active volunteer programs.

Anyone who wants a firsthand close up at what some people consider funny when it comes to pet treatment should go sign up for a hitch. The places are always in need of a helping hand.

Happy holidays.

The parking lots have plenty of spaces left open for last minute shopping.

Buy now!

[Liz]

I am pro-cat and I don't see anything wrong with the expression. The phrase is obviously used metaphorically so who cares.

[Tim]

How about Desperate Realtor's Smile?

[mark g]

slight increase in home sales can be quated to a Spears slight state of non-preganancy... very short indeed

[Todd in WeHo]

Maybe people will be less offended by "first year realtor bounce" or "the first to buy a condo in a building that's now being rented bounce".