Tank

A term used to describe negative trading outcomes, especially unforeseen drops in prices.

Tank is a term that is widely used in corporate finance to describe unfavorable market conditions and outcomes, particularly with reference to prices. The term is used as a verb—to tank—to describe the process of an asset’s price falling below the support level. It could also be used in a descriptive sense—a tanked asset—to identify an asset whose price has been down for too long or is not expected to rise by much for a long time.

Tanking especially describes sudden price declines. The reverse condition—where prices rise abruptly—is referred to as rallying.