Bull vs Bear Market Guide: What Is the Difference?

This is largely due to investors actively pumping more and more funds into the market. That, coupled with increased trading activity and investing in stocks, gold, real estate, etc., results in a bull market. These periods almost always follow a bear market, as stocks have a steady history of rising with the passage of time.

Bull or bear markets can affect how your portfolio performs in the short term

Morgan offers insights, expertise and tools to help you reach your goals. Also, we provide you with free options courses that teach you how to implement our trades as well. Examining individual companies will allow you to find high-value stocks that have only dropped due to shareholder panic. Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket — spread your holdings across a wide range of sectors to be on the safe side.

Bull Market

The two nastiest bear markets happened in 1929 and between 2007 and 2009. If you noticed, these would be in sync with the recessions. The worst of them was the crash in 1929, which lasted 2.8 years and saw a loss in value of 83.4% from the S&P 500. Investing during a bull run means buying stocks when prices are nearing their highest levels. That does sound hefty, but you can make things easier by taking advantage of short-term price falls. Your best bet is to focus on high-quality assets (i.e., stocks in firms with steady revenue sources and reasonable debt levels).

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There have been 13 bear markets in the S&P 500 since 1946, an average of one every six years. Understanding what a bull market looks like compared to a bear market can be helpful when it comes to making informed investment decisions. Here’s a breakdown of what each type of market entails, how bull and bear markets work, and how to invest during both. The key determinant of whether the market is bull or bear is not just the market’s knee-jerk reaction to a particular event, but how it’s performing over the long term. Small movements only represent a short-term trend or a market correction.

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  • Stock prices rose to a whopping 417%, with just a correction exceeding ten percentage points.
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  • A rise in corporate earnings can also usher in a bull market.

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  • In this case, a series of upward and downward movements would actually cancel out gains and losses, resulting in a flat market trend.
  • Although the direction of stock prices marks a bull market or bear market condition, there are some accompanying characteristics that investors should be aware of.
  • But why is a “bull” market considered a positive sign and a “bear” market a bad omen for investors?
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Speaking of, a bear run can also result from a speculative bubble. Once people realize that assets are priced higher than they’re worth, a massive sell-off is inevitable. Combine that with the general unwillingness to buy, and what you have is a recipe for a market crash. The most notable instance of a bull market in stocks is between 1990 and 2000. Stock prices rose to a whopping 417%, with just a correction exceeding ten percentage points. They also coincide with different phases of the macroeconomic cycle.

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In other words, many investors wish to buy securities, but few are willing to sell them. As a result, share prices will rise as investors compete to obtain available equity. Just like the economy and job growth simulate a bull market, the opposite spurs a bear market.

TRADING STOCKS IN THE BULLISH BEARS COMMUNITY

Remember, time in the market beats timing the market almost every time. Bull markets tend to be longer than bear markets, although the duration can vary. Using the S&P 500 as a benchmark, since 1942, the average bull market lasted 4.2 years while the average bear market lasted 11.1 months. The average cumulative return of the bull markets was 148.9% and the average cumulative loss of the bear markets was -31.7%.

But we also like to teach you what’s beneath the Foundation of the stock market. Typically, they are encouraged in a bullish market because the market sentiment is positive, and people are willing to invest their money. A bull market is defined as when stock prices have broadly increased by at least 20% since the last market downturn and can last for decades at times. A ‘bull market’ refers to a market that is “on the rise and where the conditions of the economy are generally favorable,” said Investopedia. Commonly, this rise is “defined as a 20% or more increase” in asset prices “from their most recent low,” though it can also “refer to a price spike in a specific market,” said Bankrate. It can be helpful to think of bull and bear markets as generally opposites to one another, but here’s a side-by-side look at what each type entails.

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During a bullish market, you will see substantial economic growth. On the contrary, the economy in a bearish market will either fall or not grow at all. A key point to remember is that an indicator like the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) best forex pairs will give you a bird’s eye view of how the economy is performing based on the existing factors. There are eight key differences in knowing the difference between a bull and bear market.

Utility providers and real estate companies are just a couple of examples here. It’s a bullish market when performance is on the rise, and a bearish market when the performance of the market is on the decline. The most cut and dry answer to what is the difference between a bull and bear market.

Not surprisingly, it also provided the highest returns, as measured by the S&P 500. The bull market is coming in at a close second from March 2009 to the present. To put this into perspective, the average return of all bull markets since 1932 has only been 165%. A declining unemployment rate is consistent with a bull market, while a rising unemployment rate occurs during a bear market. During bull markets, businesses are expanding and hiring, but they may be forced to lower their headcounts during bear markets.

The diminishing spending power could force investors to start selling assets, thereby triggering a price fall. Our editors independently research our articles and review the best products and services. We may receive commissions on purchases made from links in articles. All information provided is for educational purposes and is not investment advice or buy/sell recommendations. Rising GDP denotes a bull market, while falling GDP correlates with a bear market. GDP increases when companies’ revenues increase and employee pay rises, which enables increased consumer spending.

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