BEATING THE GUN
Beating The Gun: translation
A slang phrase used when an investor purchases or sells a security at a beneficial price by executing a trade before the market can respond to new information. Beating the gun denotes an investor's ability to time the market and react more quickly than other investors.
Experienced or professional investors try to beat the gun to earn extra return on their investments. Beating the gun requires that an investor act on information before every other investor, which is a difficult accomplishment for casual traders.