What is the end of a bear market?
If we look at every bear market since World War II, data shows that it takes 12 months on average to go from “peak to trough”—the period of time between the end of market highs (peak) and when the market transitions from its decline (the bear market) to expansion.
Watch for 20%: Market cycles are measured from peak to trough, so a stock index officially reaches bear territory when the closing price drops at least 20% from its most recent high (whereas a correction is a drop of 10%-19.9%). A new bull market begins when the closing price gains 20% from its low.
Bull market definition
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission defines a bull market as "a time when stock prices are rising and market sentiment is optimistic." More specifically, the SEC says a bull market tends to be marked by "a rise of 20% or more in a broad market index over at least a two-month period.
The current rebound from the bear market low in October 2022 is now just eight months old, suggesting an additional 10% gain could potentially take almost another year to achieve. As shown above, recovery times vary widely and depend on the economic environment.
The bear market has faded, the S&P 500 gained more in percentages in 2023 than it shed in 2022 -- and so far, the economy has avoided a recession. Let's put that all together to see what it could mean for 2024.
The longest bear market lingered for three years, from 1946 to 1949. Taking the past 12 bear markets into consideration, the average length of a bear market is about 14 months. How bad has the average bear been? The shallowest bear market loss took place in 1990, when the S&P 500 lost around 20%.
Here are two key technical indicators used to recognize bear markets: Moving Averages: Moving averages are widely used in technical analysis to smoothen price data and identify trends. The 200-day moving average is a common indicator used to determine the long-term trend of a stock or market index.
One thing to keep in mind during bear markets is that you aren't going to invest at the bottom. Buy stocks because you want to own the business for the long term, even if the share price goes down a little more after you buy.
The consensus 12-month analyst price target for the S&P 500 is 5,614, representing about 6.8% upside from current levels.
Bear Market Period | Duration | Total S&P 500 Decline |
---|---|---|
March 2000 to October 2002 | 31 months | -49% |
October 2007 to March 2009 | 17 months | -56% |
February 2020 to March 2020 | 1 month | -34% |
January 2022 to October 2022 | 10 months | -25% |
Is 2024 a bull or bear market?
After a spectacular 2023, stocks are off to the races again in 2024. YTD, the Dow is up 2.72%, the S&P is up 7.28%, and the Nasdaq is up 6.41%. (And that's on top of last year's 13.7%, 24.2%, and 43.4% respectively.)
As shown in the table below, the recovery period for U.S. stocks has been as long as 15 years: In the wake of the 1929 Crash, the IA SBBI US Large Stock Index didn't fully recover until late 1944. For gold bugs, the longest recovery period spanned more than 26 years (from October 1980 until April 2007).
9, 2007 -- but by September 2008, the major stock indexes had lost almost 20% of their value. The Dow didn't reach its lowest point, which was 54% below its peak, until March 6, 2009. It then took four years for the Dow to fully recover from the crash.
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.
For example, I have already explained that a new bull market became official when the S&P 500 hit a new record high on Jan. 19, 2024. But the bull market actually started 15 months earlier when the S&P 500 reached its bear-market low on Oct. 12, 2022.
Wall Street Crash of 1929
Stock prices dropped first on the 24th, briefly rallied — and then went into free fall on October 28-29. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 25% in those days in an event known as Black Tuesday. Ultimately, the market lost 85% of its value.
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.
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.
- Know that you have the resources to weather a crisis. ...
- Match your money to your goals. ...
- Remember: Downturns don't last. ...
- Keep your portfolio diversified. ...
- Don't miss out on market rebounds. ...
- Include cash in your kit. ...
- Find a financial professional you can count on.
- The Crash of 1929, which eventually ushered in the Great Depression,
- The Oil Embargo of 1973, which was followed by a vicious bout of stagflation,
- The Tech Bubble crash and,
- The Financial Crisis following the (then) record high in October 2007.
How long did it take for the stock market to recover after 1929?
The crash lasted until 1932, resulting in the Great Depression, a time in which stocks lost nearly 90% of their value. 9 The Dow didn't fully recover until November of 1954.
October Crashes
September, not October, has more historical down markets. However, October also has had its fair share of record stock market crashes. Some of the events over the decades that have given October the reputation for stock losses include: The Panic of 1907.
In a bear market, stockholders tend to sell off their stocks as values are declining, so they don't lose more money. At this time, to balance their portfolios, they'll turn to gold and silver as safe assets for protection. Historically, when the market goes down, the price of gold goes up.
Gold is historically a safe and stable investment that can protect you in times of economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Its price holds up well during times of high inflation and high interest rates, and sees increased demand and price appreciation during traditional equity bear markets rather than bull markets.
A bear market refers to a widespread decline in asset prices of at least 20% from recent highs. Clearly, these times are nothing to look forward to, but fighting back can be dangerous.
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