play the market

play the market idiom
Trade in securities in order to make money, as in He is always playing the market with only mixed results. This term uses play in the sense of “gamble,” a usage dating from about 1500.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.