bottom fishing

• bottom-fishing

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bottom fishing (uncountable)

1. Fishing with bait, lines, and other gear used to catch aquatic creatures which inhabit the lowest regions of a body of water, including a seabed or riverbed.
2. (idiomatic, business, finance) Buying, or seeking opportunities to buy, investment securities or other valuable properties at a time when markets are depressed and prices are low.
   • 1998 June 7, Amy Dunkin, “Commodities Are Cheap. Time To Leap?”, in Businessweek, retrieved 26 May 2014:

     So should you put a few bucks into commodities while they're dirt cheap? . . . Because of their low correlations with stocks and bonds, you may want to consider bottom-fishing in futures now, either to speculate on an upswing or insulate the rest of your portfolio against any downturns.

   • 2003 July 6, Sharon Epperson, “Beware the Bargains”, in Time, retrieved 26 May 2014:

     Bottom fishing for bargains in the stocks of distressed companies is a surprisingly popular sport.

   • 2011 September 15, Roben Farzad, “Angola and Brazil Are Buying Portuguese Companies”, in Businessweek, retrieved 26 May 2014:

     “Bottom fishing during and after financial crises is nothing new,” says Jerry Haar, a professor at the business school of Florida International University.

   • 2013 December 3, Samantha Sharf, “JC Penney Sales Swell In November, But Holiday Profits Will Be Stiffer Test”, in Forbes, retrieved 26 May 2014:

     But the activity was concentrated to a few days with active traders swooping in when the stock hit its 52-week low, leading to speculation the investors were largely bottom fishing.

• bottom feeding

• “bottom fishing”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.