hemline theory

noun

The informal theory that stock market prices move in the same direction as the hemline of women's skirts, short skirts being considered bullish and long skirts bearish.

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Meanings

nounhemline theory (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe informal theory that stock market prices move in the same direction as the hemline of women's skirts, short skirts being considered bullish and long skirts bearish.

    I also like the hemline theory better than the freight-car-loading theory, on the grounds of aesthetics. The former theory, you will recall, relates stock booms to periods in which hemlines are higher.

    1986 February 3, John Gantz, “Stock Market Is Easy if You Choose the Right Omen”, in InfoWorld, InfoWorld Media Group, Inc., page 19

Translations

Finnish helmalinjateoria
  • helmalinjateoriatheory
Cite this entry
APA

hemline theory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemline%20theory

MLA

“hemline theory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemline%20theory. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hemline theory,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemline%20theory.

Source: hemline theory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.