Whipsaw describes the movement of a security when, at a particular time, the security's price is moving in one direction but then quickly pivots to move in the opposite direction.

There are two types of whipsaw patterns. The first involves an upward movement in a share price, which is then followed by a drastic downward move causing the share's price to fall relative to its original position. The second type occurs when a share price drops in value for a short time and then suddenly surges upward to a positive gain relative to the stock's original position.