Justified hope, or dead cat bounce?

If you follow politics or the markets at all — and if you don’t, bless you, for you are probably far happier than I am, and must be gratefully surprised at that yellow orb popping up every day — you’re probably familiar with the term “dead cat bounce.”

It originated in the markets in the 80s, to indicate a brief rise in the market in the middle of a downward trend. The idea is that, and I quote, “even a dead cat will bounce if dropped from a great height.”