How do you tell if we are in a bear or bull market?
The popular definition of a bull market is that stock market has gained 20% from its last bottom. Using the same logic, a bear market is one that has declined 20% from its last peak.
Key takeaways
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.
The current bull market started in October 2022, when the S&P 500 reached its most recent low. Since then, the index has swelled about 35 percent.
Bull Power measures the strength of buyers in the market by evaluating the divergence between the day's high and an exponential moving average. In contrast, Bear Power assesses the dominance of sellers by examining the difference between the day's low and the same moving average.
Directional price trends – an upward trend with higher highs and higher lows confirms a bull market, whereas a downward trend with lower highs and lower lows confirms a bear market. Historical price patterns – many technical analysts look to the past to help predict the future.
Economic growth actually accelerated above its 10-year average in 2023. That resilience, coupled with a fascination about artificial intelligence (AI), changed investors' collective mood. The S&P 500 soared throughout the year and finally reached a new high in January 2024, making the new bull market official.
Last year we entered a bear market, and although the S&P 500 is up 12% this year and has been even higher, we are still officially in a bear market. You can see from this chart when the market began to climb after crashing in 2020 and stayed elevated until last year.
With stock indexes at all-time highs, it seems we are in the midst of a new bull market. While much of the market's recent gains have come from a handful of stocks, the rally has begun to broaden in recent months. Expectations of an earnings rebound in 2024 suggest earnings could continue to drive the market higher.
There are no set ages to get into or to get out of the stock market. While older clients may want to reduce their investing risk as they age, this doesn't necessarily mean they should be totally out of the stock market.
Key Takeaways. While holding or moving to cash might feel good mentally and help avoid short-term stock market volatility, it is unlikely to be wise over the long term. Once you cash out a stock that's dropped in price, you move from a paper loss to an actual loss.
What is the best indicator of the bear market?
- Simple Moving Average (SMA) ...
- Exponential Moving Average (EMA) ...
- Moving Average Convergence and Divergence (MACD)
- Moving Averages and Crossovers. Moving Averages. ...
- Bollinger Bands. Bollinger bands are a widely used tool in technical analysis. ...
- Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) ...
- RSI Weakness: ...
- Cup-And-Handle Pattern.
Key Takeaways. The current bull market that started in March 2009 is the longest bull market in history. It's topped the bull market of the 1990s that lasted 113 months.
3. How long the average bull market lasts. As much as investors would like the answer to this question to be "forever," bull markets tend to run for just under four years. The average bull market duration, since 1932, is 3.8 years, according to market research firm InvesTech Research.
A bull market is an extended period when prices for stocks or other assets are steadily on the rise, usually during the expansion phase in the business cycle. Bull markets are usually accompanied by high investor confidence and a strong overall economy.
Stock | 2024 return through March 31 |
---|---|
SoundHound AI Inc. (SOUN) | 177.8% |
Vera Therapeutics Inc. (VERA) | 180.4% |
Avidity Biosciences Inc. (RNA) | 182% |
Arcutis Biotherapeutics Inc. (ARQT) | 206.8% |
Positive returns -- but smaller than in 2023
I think that the overall stock market will deliver positive returns in 2024. However, I expect those returns to be somewhat smaller than they were last year.
The duration of bear markets can vary, but on average, they last approximately 289 days, equivalent to around nine and a half months. It's important to note that there's no way to predict the timing of a bear market with complete certainty, and history shows that the average bear market length can vary significantly.
Economic market structures can be grouped into four categories: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly.
Since 1957, the average bull market has lasted nearly five years and generated an average S&P 500 return of more than 169%.
Which market is doing the best?
- Argentina. 37.48%
- Hungary. 30.78%
- Jamaica. 28.5%
- Denmark. 27.86%
- Malta. 23.23%
- Iceland. 17.93%
- Ireland. 17.52%
- China. 16.73%
Meanwhile, the median streak of positive returns can extend to 17 months with a gain of 14%, based on historical data. That suggests the S&P 500 could trade to 6,000 by August 2025, and to as high as 6,150 by November 2025.
Company | 3-Year Sales Growth CAGR | Industry |
---|---|---|
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) | 39% | Semiconductors |
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) | 7% | Streaming entertainment |
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) | 10% | E-commerce and cloud computing |
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) | 10% | Digital advertising |
Some investors would say yes, with the S&P 500 Index well over the popular threshold for a bull run of a 20% gain from a trough.
For years, a commonly cited rule of thumb has helped simplify asset allocation. According to this principle, individuals should hold a percentage of stocks equal to 100 minus their age. So, for a typical 60-year-old, 40% of the portfolio should be equities.
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