Buy the Rumor and Sell The NewsMarkets move before information becomes official because positioning always precedes confirmation. By the time news is released, expectations are already priced in. “Buy the rumor” describes this positioning phase, where capital reallocates based on anticipation rather than facts.
Traders who act only on confirmation arrive when risk is highest and asymmetry is lowest.
Rumors form when uncertainty exists and narrative fills the gap. Expectations about events, data, upgrades, or macro decisions begin circulating long before outcomes are known. During this phase, liquidity is thin and positioning builds gradually. Price advances not because certainty exists, but because participants want exposure before clarity removes opportunity.
As the rumor spreads, price often trends cleanly. Pullbacks are shallow, momentum holds, and dips are bought quickly. This is not because the outcome is guaranteed, but because risk is perceived as acceptable relative to potential upside.
The danger appears near confirmation. When the news becomes official, uncertainty collapses. Everyone knows the outcome, and participation peaks. Liquidity increases sharply as late buyers enter and early participants begin exiting. This is why markets frequently stall, reverse, or distribute immediately after positive news. The trade was never about the event itself. It was about positioning ahead of it.
Selling after confirmation is not manipulation. It is inventory management. Capital that entered early needs liquidity to exit. News provides that liquidity. When expectations are fully priced, continuation requires new incentive, not old information.
The practical takeaway is not to trade headlines. It is to observe behavior before them. Watch how price reacts during anticipation. Strong trends with controlled pullbacks suggest accumulation. Choppy price with sharp spikes suggests distribution forming. When confirmation arrives, reassess rather than assume continuation.
“Buy the rumor” works because markets move on expectations and pause on certainty. Traders improve when they stop reacting to news and start reading how the market positions itself in advance. The edge lies in understanding when probability is expanding and when it has already been spent.
