Stop catching

Stop catching is a form of trading in which market participants attempt to set off the stops of other market participants for fun and profit.

For example, suppose that there is a support level in a hypothetical market, as defined by technical analysis at 48 (an arbitrary price). Locals will try to sell into this price at a minimum, perhaps a few ticks lower, expecting that there are stops placed at around this level. The locals will then buy the sell orders triggered by the stops and bring the price up again.