dry powder

American  

[drahy pou-der] / ˈdraɪ ˈpaʊ dər /

noun

1. cash reserves, liquid assets, or easily liquidated assets such as readily saleable stocks and bonds, held by a corporation or an individual in order to cover current or future obligations, make new purchases, or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.

   Stick with small investments for now, but keep some dry powder on hand in case we start to see this industry grow stronger.

2. powder.

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Etymology

Origin of dry powder

First recorded in 2000–05 dry powder for def. 1

Example Sentences

“Long-only funds have reduced exposure, hedge funds de-grossed moderately, and systematic risk appears more symmetric…there is more dry powder than at the start of the year, but the pendulum has not yet swung to under-allocated,” the strategists said.

From MarketWatch

Bloomstran points out that Buffett regretted not being more aggressive with his financial dry powder during the financial crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’m holding some dry powder to try to buy at the bottom if there is an opportunity,” said Josh Kinser, an individual investor in Texas.

From MarketWatch

Fees can also grow through the deployment of “dry powder” funds, which can happen faster in times of market stress.

From The Wall Street Journal

The private equity industry is sitting on roughly $1.7 trillion in dry powder globally.

From Barron's