downtick

noun

down·​tick ˈdau̇n-ˌtik 

plural downticks

1

: a small decrease, decline, or downward trend

Pennsylvania saw a slight increase in traffic-related fatalities last year despite a national downtick, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

—Megan Tomasic

Any downtick in the ever-expanding economy is likely to make commercial real estate lenders nervous about financing new projects …

—Dane Huffman

2

finance : a stock market transaction at a price below the last previous transaction in the same security

… the New York Stock Exchange forbids short sales on stocks whose last trade was lower than the previous trade. However, that rule, widely cited by journalists as an absolute proscription on shorting on a downtick, only applies to NYSE stocks.

—Thomas Lepri

compare uptick sense 2

Examples of downtick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The figure also reflects a downtick in the overall U.S. unemployment rate, which fell to 3.5% during the same period, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. —Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 17 May 2023

Boston health officials, who urged people to keep taking precautions despite the city’s downtick in COVID-19 numbers, have recommended that people wear masks indoors, including on public transportation, even though the city is only at a medium level on the CDC map. —Ryan Huddle, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022

An additional 136,525 coronavirus vaccinations were administered in Illinois on Thursday as the state reported another slight downtick in the seven-day coronavirus positivity rate. —Dan Petrella, chicagotribune.com, 23 Apr. 2021

But the 57% who supported stricter gun laws in the latest poll marks a downtick from the 66% who supported stricter gun laws following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas late last May. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

down entry 4 + tick entry 1

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at sense 1