The history of bull and bear\n\n The terms bear and bull have been used for many years in the financial and trading markets, and are thought to originally stem from the way in which each animal attacks its opponents. A bull, when on the attack, thrusts its horns up into the air, while a bear will swipe downward.
A bull market is when stock prices are on the rise and economically sound, while a bear market is when prices are in decline. The origin of these expressions is unclear, but one reason could be that bulls attack by bringing their horns upward, while bears attack by swiping their paws downward.
Key takeaways\n\n A bull market occurs when securities are on the rise, while a bear market occurs when securities fall for a sustained period of time. It's important to understand the differences between bull and bear markets and how they impact your investment decisions.
A bear market is a 20% downturn in stock market indexes from recent highs. A bull market occurs when stock market indexes are rising, eventually hitting new highs. Historically, bull markets tend to last longer than bear markets. Bear and bull markets can affect investor confidence and behavior.