Bull Vs Bear Market

Most people who have been investing in or following the stock market for some time are probably well familiar with the terms bear vs bull market. What does it really mean?A bull market is associated with increasing investor confidence, and increased investing in anticipation of future price increases (capital gains).A  bullish trend in the options trading often begins before the general economy shows clear signs of recovery.Examples India's Bombay Stock Exchange Index, SENSEX, was in a bull market trend for about five years from April 2003 to January 2008 as it increased from 2,900 points to 21,000 points. A notable bull market was in the 1990s and most of the 1980s when the U.S. and many other stock markets rose.

A bear market in a trade 4 target is a general decline in the stock market over a period of time.It is a transition from high investor optimism to widespread investor fear and pessimism. According to The Vanguard Group, "While there’s no agreed-upon definition of a bear market, one generally accepted measure is a price decline of 20% or more over at least a two-month period."It is sometimes referred to as "The Heifer Market" due to the paradox with the above subject.Examples A bear market followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and erased 89% (from 386 to 40) of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's market capitalization by July 1932, marking the start of the Great Depression. After regaining nearly 50% of its losses, a longer bear market from 1937 to 1942 occurred in which the market was again cut in half. Another long-term bear market occurred from about 1973 to 1982, encompassing the 1970s energy crisis and the high unemployment of the early 1980s. Yet another bear market occurred between March 2000 and October 2002. The most recent example occurred between October 2007 and March 2009.

Investing in a bear market gives a higher chances of losses because stock prices are continually losing value and the end is not often in sight. Even if you do decide to invest with the hopes of an upturn, you are likely to take a loss before any turnaround occurs. Thus, most of the profitability under bear market conditions will be found in short selling or investing in safer investments such as options trading fixed-income securities. While in bear mode, an investor may also turn to "defensive stocks," whose performances are only minimally affected by changing trends in the market and are therefore stable in both economic gloom and boom. These are industries such as utilities, often owned by the government and are necessities that people buy regardless of the economic condition.