downtick

noun

down·tick | \ ˈdau̇n-ˌtik

plural downticks

Definition of downtick

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