English

Proverb

buy low, sell high

1. (business, finance) Commonplace investment advice, recommending that a prospective investor purchase an asset at a low cost and sell it later for a high price.
   • 1979 March 26, Gerald Clarke, "Books: Man Behind The Tube," Time (retrieved 5 Oct 2015):

     [T]he art of broadcasting, writes William Paley, "is to know what the public is seeking before the public even knows it is looking for something else." As a guide, that advice is about as useful as buy low, sell high.

   • 2006 Dec. 11, John P. Reese, "Buying High, Selling Higher," Forbes (retrieved 5 Oct 2015):

     The old investment adage “buy low, sell high” makes perfect intuitive sense, but folks like William O’Neil would prefer to “buy high and sell higher.”

   • 2011 May 14, Jennifer Hill, "The 10 biggest investment pitfalls (and how to avoid them)," Independent (UK) (retrieved 5 Oct 2015):

     Any savvy investor knows the basic principle of investment: buy low, sell high.

Usage notes

• Often used in a humorous manner, since this advice is too trite and vague to be helpful in specific situations.

See also

• buy when it snows, sell when it goes
• sell in May and go away