How do you know when the bear market has ended?
A new bull market begins when the closing price gains 20% from its low. Stocks lose 35% on average in a bear market.
Bear markets are characterized by investors' pessimism and low confidence. During a bear market, investors often seem to ignore any good news and keep selling investments, which pushes prices even lower. Eventually, investors begin to find stocks attractively priced and start buying, officially ending the bear market.
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.
If we take the 289-day average for bear markets into account, the S&P bear market could end in March 2023, and the S&P 500's could end in July next year. Of course, like all things stock market, there is a ton of uncertainty around the bear market, and it's impossible to predict when it will end for sure.
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.
Bull markets often follow bear markets. These are defined as an increase of 20% or more in stock prices. There have been many bull markets since 1930. While bull markets often last for years, a significant portion of the gains typically accrue during the early months of a stock market rally.
As of now, the longest bear market occurred between 2000 and 2002 and lasted 929 calendar days. Image source: Getty Images.
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.
Don't try to catch the bottom: Trying to time the market is generally a losing battle. 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.
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.
Will stock market recover in 2024?
Earnings Rebound
Despite an uncertain economic outlook, the S&P 500 has rallied to new all-time highs in 2024 driven by remarkably strong underlying economic fundamentals. S&P 500 companies have reported their second consecutive quarter of year-over-year earnings growth in the fourth quarter.
As for how the stocks will perform in the coming election year, 2024 forecasts for the S&P 500 vary widely, but the consensus seems to fall in the range of 8%-9% gains, a little under the index's historical average of about 10%.
Stock | 2024 performance through Feb. 29 |
---|---|
Super Micro Computer Inc. (SMCI) | 204.7% |
Vera Therapeutics Inc. (VERA) | 206.1% |
SoundHound AI Inc. (SOUN) | 250% |
Viking Therapeutics Inc. (VKTX) | 314% |
Expect a 'bumpy landing' for the economy in 2024—and a 'very bullish' year for stocks, strategists say. No economist or market watcher has a crystal ball. So when it comes to making predictions for the year ahead, many take a conservative stance, making their bull or bear case with a litany of caveats.
Key Takeaways. Potential economic obstacles in 2024 could delay the start of a sustained bull market, but investors can still find opportunities. Consider staying cautious on U.S. stocks while shifting to bonds for potential income and capital gains.
Another option is to reduce your spending as much as you can during a bear market. This will allow you to withdraw less money from your portfolio when prices are down. Cutting spending isn't easy, but it may help you sleep better and get you through a period of high volatility.
- Short-selling.
- Dealing short ETFs.
- Trading safe-haven assets.
- Trading currencies.
- Going long on defensive stocks.
- Choosing high-yielding dividend shares.
- Trading options.
- Buying at the bottom.
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. However, the current bull market, which has seen the S&P 500 rise 330% in its 10+ years, is still second to the 90s bull run, which returned 417%.
Investors must settle their security transactions in three business days. This settlement cycle is known as "T+3" — shorthand for "trade date plus three days." This rule means that when you buy securities, the brokerage firm must receive your payment no later than three business days after the trade is executed.
On March 11, 2020, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) entered a bear market for the first time in 11 years amid the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 1 The Dow Jones Average fell from nearly 30,000 to under 19,000. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq followed suit shortly after.
Why bull market is a bad time to check your 401k?
But during a bull market, people who check often perhaps feel wealthier, and even though that money is locked up in an account that's for retirement, psychologically you feel wealthier, so you might be more likely to just spend more money, which can lead to lower savings rates.
It typically takes five months to reach the “bottom” of a correction. However, once the market starts to turn, it can recover quickly. The average recovery time for a correction is just four months! That's why investors with truly diversified portfolios may consider staying investing for the long-term.
- 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.
After 2000, the S&P 500 took more than four and a half years to recover to new all-time highs. The tech-heavy Nasdaq took an incredible 15 years to fully recover from the post-bubble bear market.
President Calvin Coolidge, who took office in 1923, whose stock price performance change was a whopping 208.52%, for an average monthly return of 1.74%. That's the largest for any president since the start of the 20th century.
References
- https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/06/25/if-you-invested-10000-in-the-sp-500-20-years-ago/
- https://www.investopedia.com/a-history-of-bear-markets-4582652
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/03/060603.asp
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_(1987)
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/stock-market-forecast-2024/
- https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/overview/
- https://www.blackrock.com/us/financial-professionals/insights/capital-markets-predictions-for-2024
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bull-market-according-history-long-084300994.html
- https://www.hartfordfunds.com/practice-management/client-conversations/managing-volatility/bear-markets.html
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/how-to-invest-during-a-bear-market
- https://www.sec.gov/about/reports-publications/investor-publications/about-settling-trades-in-three-days-introducing-t-3
- https://www.livemint.com/market/stock-market-news/what-are-the-three-stages-of-a-bear-market-11654611919330.html
- https://www.morningstar.com/portfolios/experts-forecast-stock-bond-returns-2024-edition
- https://www.fisherinvestments.com/en-us/insights/videos/fisher-investments-reviews-its-outlook-for-markets-in-2024
- https://www.ssa.gov/history/bank.html
- https://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/best-performing-stocks-of-the-year
- https://financhill.com/blog/investing/when-will-the-bear-market-end
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zcwxrdm/revision/3
- https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/how-to-invest-bear-market
- https://www.investopedia.com/market-milestones-as-the-bull-market-turns-10-4588903
- https://www.quora.com/Why-was-money-worthless-in-the-Great-Depression
- https://time.com/personal-finance/article/us-stock-market-crashes/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/09/cash-is-king.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042115/what-caused-stock-market-crash-1929-preceded-great-depression.asp
- https://www.morningstar.com/portfolios/how-long-will-it-take-market-recover
- https://www.ig.com/en/trading-strategies/how-to-profit-from-downward-markets-and-falling-prices-191016
- https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/ushistory/chapter/the-stock-market-crash-of-1929/
- https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/trading-investing/outlook-sectors
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/history-says-the-nasdaq-could-soar-21-in-2024.-heres-the-growth-stock-to-buy-right-now.
- https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/google-news-update/why-you-shouldnt-check-your-401k-during-a-bull-market/ab7110e4-028e-4c8f-a925-c218ee4346fd
- https://www.fisherinvestments.com/en-us/fisher-investments-reviews
- https://www.investing.com/analysis/lessons-from-the-great-depression-200640177
- https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/articles/why-investors-should-consider-emerging-market-bonds-2024.html
- https://www.stlouisfed.org/the-great-depression/curriculum/economic-episodes-in-american-history-part-5
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/19/2024-market-predictions-bumpy-landing-for-the-economy.html
- https://www.fool.com/terms/b/bear-market/
- https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/are-we-in-a-bull-market-2024
- https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/stock-market-crash-of-1929
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/4-predictions-for-the-stock-market-in-2024-and-which-stocks-will-soar-the-most-if-theyre
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-bubble-keep-inflating-until-233122429.html
- https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/basics/crashes/
- https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/01/08/this-may-be-the-longest-bear-market-in-history/
- https://www.dividend.com/dividend-education/inside-the-10-worst-days-of-dow/
- https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2022/06/15/the-great-stock-market-crash-of-1929-why-history-textbooks-and-the-conventional-wisdom-get-it-wrong/
- https://goldsilver.com/blog/heres-how-long-it-really-takes-to-recover-from-stock-market-crashes/
- https://www.thestreet.com/dictionary/stock-market-crash-1987
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/stock-market-outlook-and-forecast/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blacktuesday.asp
- https://www.bankrate.com/investing/bear-market-guide-all-ages/
- https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-wealthy-maintain-their-wealth-during-the-great-depression
- https://www.investors.com/news/stock-market-forecast-2024-a-soft-landing-may-not-bring-the-gains-you-expect/
- https://www.firstsentierinvestors.com/content/dam/web/fsi/assets/global/insight-articles/2024/global-listed-infrastructure-review-and-outlook-2024.pdf
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/buying-stocks/articles/this-is-who-ends-up-rich-when-the-stock-market-crashes/
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/sp-500-end-2024-with-small-gain-after-strong-2023-2024-02-22/
- https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/stock-market-crash-of-1987
- https://www.creditkarma.com/investments/i/bear-market-investing-strategies
- https://www.covenantwealthadvisors.com/post/understanding-stock-market-corrections-and-crashes
- https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1929-stock-market-crash
- https://investorplace.com/should-i-sell-my-stocks-in-a-bear-market/
- https://finimize.com/content/what-will-sp-500-return-over-next-10-years
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/goldman-sachs-lifts-2024-sp-500-target-5200-upbeat-profit-outlook-2024-02-19/
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/this-stock-market-indicator-has-been-100-accurate-since-1957.-it-signals-a-big-move-in-the
- https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/600938/bull-markets-10-things-you-must-know
- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/u-s-stock-bear-markets-and-their-subsequent-recoveries-2388520
- https://www.advisorperspectives.com/dshort/updates/2024/01/05/bear-market-recoveries-todays-market-q3-2023
- https://www.cnbc.com/select/pros-of-bear-market-for-new-investors/
- https://www.thestreet.com/video/which-u-s-president-had-the-biggest-impact-on-stock-market-performance
- https://www.stash.com/learn/how-long-do-bear-markets-last/
- https://www.investopedia.com/timeline-of-stock-market-crashes-5217820
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/09/october-effect.asp
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/bear-market-history/
- https://school.stockcharts.com/doku.php?id=overview:bob_farrell_10_rules
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-money-stock-market-age-150008787.html
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bofa-strategists-boost-p-500-084952353.html
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/fisher-investments-review/
- https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory2os2xmaster/chapter/the-stock-market-crash-of-1929/
- https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/articles/investor-pulse-optimism-for-2024.html
- https://www.hartfordfunds.com/dam/en/docs/pub/whitepapers/CCWP045.pdf
- https://moneywise.com/investing/reviews/fisher-investments
- https://www.franklintempleton.com/planning-and-learning/learn-about-investing/investing-principles/cost-of-timing-the-market
- https://www.thestreet.com/dictionary/bear-market
- https://www.nirmalbang.com/knowledge-center/things-to-do-when-stock-market-crashes.html
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/what-to-do-when-stock-market-is-crashing
- https://www.history.com/news/great-depression-people-who-made-money
- https://www.noradarealestate.com/blog/sp-500-forecast-for-next-five-years/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929
- https://study.com/learn/lesson/what-caused-the-stock-market-crash-of-1929.html
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/what-is-bear-market-2022-06-15/