Special situation

An undervalued stock that one or more analysts expects to increase in price in the very near future because of an anticipated - and welcome - change within the company is known as a special situation.

That change could be the introduction of a major new product, a corporate restructuring, or anything else that has the potential to increase earnings.

In some cases, the fact that a stock is identified as a special situation creates a flurry of investor interest and actually helps drive the price up even before the change has had time to take effect.

A stock that is extremely volatile over the short term because of important recent news about the company, such as a takeover or spin-off, is also described as a special situation.