Sloppy
a.k.a. Choppy, Messy
Trader slang for choppy, directionless price action with no follow-through.
In plain English
Trader slang for choppy, directionless price action with no follow-through.
A sloppy market is one with no clean direction. Price lurches up, lurches down, breaks a level then immediately falls back, and nothing follows through. Every trade feels like walking through mud.
When traders call a market sloppy, they usually mean "hard to trade, easy to get chopped up". Many respond by trading smaller, or heading to the sidelines.
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