Bullish definition (2024)

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

What does it mean to be bullish in trading?

Bullish traders believe, based on their analysis, that a market will experience an upward price movement. Being bullish involves buying an underlying market – known as going long – in order to profit by selling the market in the future, once the price has risen.

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Famous bullish traders

There are many famous bullish traders who have earned large profits from speculating on markets rising:

  • Jim Rogers made his fortune with the Quantum Fund, which he co-founded with a famous bearish trader – George Soros. Rogers contributed to the growth of the fund by being bullish on commodities throughout the 1980s and 1990s
  • David Tepper bought large quantities of undervalued American bank stocks in the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, and cashed in when their price increased after a government bank bailout
  • Ed Seykota is a famous trend trader who turned $5000 into $15 million over 12 years by following both bullish and bearish trends
  • Richard Dennis is another trend trader, who turned $1600 into $200 million in just ten years. He did so by being bullish during uptrends and following the trend until its completion

How to take a bullish position

To take a bullish position, you would buy the market. You can do this either by investing in the underlying market, or by trading on its price. Most investors will be bullish by default, because by investing in shares (or other assets) they own the asset outright and so rely on the market rising to realise a profit.

However, traders can also speculate that a market will increase in value with financial derivatives such as CFDs and spread bets. These products can be used to trade on the price movements of an asset without taking ownership of it, meaning they can also be used to take a bearish position.

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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Professional clients can lose more than they deposit. All trading involves risk.

The value of shares, ETFs and ETCs bought through a share dealing account, a stocks and shares ISA or a SIPP can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

CFD accounts provided by IG Markets Ltd, spread betting provided by IG Index Ltd and share dealing and stocks and shares ISA accounts provided by IG Trading and Investments Ltd. IG is a trading name of IG Markets Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 04008957), IG Index Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 01190902) and IG Trading and Investments Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 11628764). Registered address at Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA. IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355), IG Index Ltd (Register number 114059) and IG Trading and Investments Ltd (Register number 944492) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Bullish definition (2024)

FAQs

What is the definition of being bullish? ›

[more bullish; most bullish] 1. : hopeful or confident that something or someone will be successful : optimistic about the future of something or someone. Members of her party are bullish about her reelection. They are bullish about the future of the product.

How do you describe someone as bullish? ›

: optimistic about something's or someone's prospects. bullish on the company's future.

Is bullish good or bad? ›

Bullish means optimistic; it refers to a belief that investments will increase in value in the future. Bearish, on the other hand, means pessimistic, and generally refers to a belief that investment prices will fall in the future.

What does remain bullish mean? ›

If someone is bullish about something, they are cheerful and optimistic about it. Even now, he is bullish about the company's future. [ + about] [Also + on]

What does put bullish mean? ›

Key Takeaways. A bull put spread is an options strategy that is used when the investor expects a moderate rise in the price of the underlying asset. An investor executes a bull put spread by buying a put option on a security and selling another put option for the same date but a higher strike price.

What is a bullish mindset? ›

To be bullish is to have an optimistic outlook on the future. It means to be confident in the prospects for growth and to believe that prices will continue to rise. When someone is bullish on the market, they buy in anticipation of future gains.

What is a bullish personality? ›

Understanding the Bullish Individual

In a professional context, bullish individuals exhibit a strong belief in their ideas, projects, or the company's future, characterized by: Optimism: A bullish person often has a positive outlook on outcomes and opportunities, believing in the potential for success.

What is another word for bullish? ›

Synonyms: optimistic, confident, positive, encouraged More Synonyms of bullish.

What does the term bullish indicates answer? ›

When someone is bullish, it means they are expecting prices to rise over a certain period of time. The term applies to broad market indexes such as the S&P 500, specific industries, entire asset classes such as real estate or commodities and even individual stocks.

Is bullish positive or negative? ›

In the context of the financial markets, “bullish” is a term used to describe a positive or optimistic outlook on the direction of a particular asset, market, or the overall economy. When someone is bullish, they believe that prices or values are likely to rise, or that the market will perform well in the near future.

What does it mean to be strong bullish? ›

To be bullish means to have a positive outlook on the market, expecting that the prices of stocks, commodities, currencies, or other assets will rise in the future. A bullish investor believes that there are more opportunities to profit from buying and holding the assets, or from taking long positions in the market.

Does bullish mean up or down? ›

Simply put, "bullish" means an investor believes a stock or the overall market will go higher. Conversely, "bearish" is the term used for investors who believe a stock will go down, or underperform. A bullish investor is often referred to as a bull, and a bearish investor as a bear.

What is a bullish sentiment? ›

A Bullish Sentiment refers to an overall positive attitude regarding the value and future prospects of given asset. A Bullish Sentiment precedes a bull market entry and encourages investors to buy.

What does bullish statement mean? ›

If an investor is, say, bullish about ABC Corp., this means that he or she thinks that specific company's shares will climb. A bull market conveys a related meaning. It exists when the prices – normally the closing prices – of securities or indexes that track a set of securities, typically those of equities, rise.

Why is it called bullish? ›

Why is it called bullish or bearish? The terms bullish and bearish are believed to have derived from how bulls and bears fight their enemies: a bull thrusts its horns in the air, while a bear will pull its opponent down.

What does bullish personality mean? ›

In a professional context, bullish individuals exhibit a strong belief in their ideas, projects, or the company's future, characterized by: Optimism: A bullish person often has a positive outlook on outcomes and opportunities, believing in the potential for success.

What does the term bullish indicates? ›

What does bullish mean? A bullish trend is an upward trend in a particular asset. Bulls think the markets will go up. A market in a long-term uptrend is called a bull market. If a trader says, “I'm bullish on gold,” she thinks the price of gold will go up.

What does it mean to be bullish thinking? ›

"Bullish Thinking is a powerful volume filled with positive thinking and hands-on strategies to help advisors and brokers change negative attitudes that affect their production, the running of their business, and their clients. A blueprint for success."

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