But crafting and adhering to a clear long-term investment strategy could help you ride out whichever way the market’s going. Every bear market’s different … and it depends on what’s causing it. Bulls and bears … How did animals (with no financial experience) become financial terms? Bulls thrust their horns up to attack, and bears swat their claws down to attack. The origins of “bull” and “bear” as financial terms aren’t entirely clear, but there is a consensus among etymologists that “bear” came first. All the indicators have to point in the bullish direction.
When market conditions change, chasing will lead to losses. The trend can indicate whether a stock is bullish or bearish. But candlestick patterns offer additional indicators for price action. Volume-weighted average price (VWAP) is critical to my trading. If the price is above VWAP, longs are more profitable than shorts.
- The longest bull market in American history for stocks lasted for 4,494 days and ran from December 1987 to March 2000.
- However, the longest bull market in U.S. history lasted nearly 11 years, from March 2009, near the end of the Great Recession, until the global pandemic hit in March 2020.
- I review the intraday and daily charts on StocksToTrade.
- There are many terms to describe stock market declines.
If the price is below VWAP, shorts are more profitable than longs. After being in a bear market since June 2022., the S&P 500 entered a bull market on June 8, 2023, after rising 20% from its October 2022 lows. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq are also in bull markets, having entered them on Nov. 30, 2022, and May 8, 2023, respectively.
Bull Market vs. Bear Market
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Since you initially received $1,000, buying the shares back for only $960 gives you a $40 profit. However, if the price instead increased to $10.50, you would lose $50 ($0.50 extra cost x 100 shares). As an example, suppose you go long 100 shares of ZYZY stock at $10.00 per share, or $1,000 total. Then you sell the stock for $10.40 per share, collecting $1,040 and making a $40 profit. In this case your long position would have been profitable.
What it means to be bullish
During a bear market, market sentiment is negative; investors begin to move their money out of equities and into fixed-income securities as they wait for a positive move in the stock market. In sum, the decline in stock market prices shakes investor confidence. This causes investors to keep their money out of the market, which, in turn, causes a general price decline as outflow increases. A market is usually not considered a true «bear» market unless it has fallen 20% or more from recent highs. In a bear market, share prices are continuously dropping. This results in a downward trend that investors believe will continue; this belief, in turn, perpetuates the downward spiral.
Instead of referring specifically to short sale traders investors began referring to anyone who expected price dips as bearish, and declining prices as a bear market. But the expressions took on a more specific meaning among investors and stock traders, who understood the practice of speculating on an anticipated downturn. Among investors the term “bearskin trader” and eventually just “bear trader” came to refer to https://www.currency-trading.org/ someone who traded stocks the same way disreputable fur traders dealt in pelts. A bullish investor, also known as a bull, believes that the price of one or more securities or indexes will rise. Sometimes a bullish investor believes that the market as a whole is due to go up, foreseeing general gains. In other cases an investor might anticipate gains in a specific industry, stock, bond, commodity or collectible.
I review the intraday and daily charts on StocksToTrade. StocksToTrade also shows a live news feed, so I never miss any catalysts. Get access to beautiful and responsive charts with a 14-day trial for $7 — or combine it with the Breaking News Chat add-on for $17. If you’re «long» on a stock, it means you own it because you expect it to increase in value so you can profit.
Bullish vs. Bearish: The Meaning of These Stock Market Terms
Bearish stocks tend to be weak and have recently been one-and-dones. (That’s when a stock starts strong in the morning but closes lower). Steven Johnson — one of my awesome co-hosts on the SteadyTrade podcast — https://www.forex-world.net/ loves short selling this setup. Essentially, it’s having a belief that an asset will rise in value. To say a trader is «bullish on gold,» for example, means that the trader believes the price of gold will rise.
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History of Bear Markets
Acting on a bearish or bullish opinion should be based on a well-defined trading strategy. Both bear and bull markets will have a large influence on your investments, so it’s a good idea to take some time to determine what the market is doing when making an investment decision. Remember that over the long term, the stock market has always posted a positive return. The 1929 stock market crash ushered in the longest bear market at more than 32 months. If you could anticipate when bull or bear markets were going to begin and end, you could adjust your investments accordingly to take advantage of the changing conditions. The reality is that once bull and bear markets become clear to investors, it’s probably too late to take advantage of the change.
This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns. Knowing these details can help you in your trading journey. When you’re ready to take your market know-how to the next level, come join the SteadyTrade Team. It’s where you can find mentorship, a community, and tons of education to help you hone your own strategy, whether it’s bullish or bearish. Traders can be bullish on the market overall, but bearish on a sector.
What Does Bearish vs. Bullish Sentiment Mean?
Fidelity does not assume any duty to update any of the information. Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. Big market swings in either direction can feel overwhelming, especially when you see the effect they have on your money.