When you start trading online or make an investment in online markets, you will probably hear the terms bear and bull markets. Investors often refer to a broad index like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average when they speak about a bear market, which is a traditional benchmark for measuring how equities are performing overall. Due to the Federal Reserve’s recent rise in interest rates, the stock market has seen a significant drop in recent weeks.
On June 3 trade, the S&P 500, which is down 18% for the year, briefly neared the bear market territory before bouncing back. Dow Jones has fallen by 13%, and Nasdaq Composite has decreased by approximately 29% since the beginning of 2022, respectively. There is already a bear market in the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite stock index.
Many issues, including soaring inflation, increasing interest rates, the crisis in Ukraine, and the prospect of a recession, have worried Wall Street recently.
The 20 percent demarcation line used to characterize a bear market is nothing remarkable. Investors face a symbolic and psychological barrier. As a financial advisor in Orlando, Florida, Charlie Fitzgerald III says, “It’s a shortcut in vocabulary surrounding the financial markets that individuals employ.” “In the end, it’s a difficult period.”
Is Bear Market Going To Last Long?
When we talk about the bear market, it is hard to measure how long it is going to last. Different bear markets have different characteristics, as one would anticipate. According to an LPL Research examination of FactSet data, the S&P 500 reached its lowest point one day after the beginning of a bear market in 1957.
On another day, as shown here, it started to recover. In the case of the early 2000s, it took 19 months for stock prices to stabilize after the bear market began. Stock market downturns are nothing new. They happen from time to time. After the downturn, it always begins to grow in value.
According to Guggenheim Investments, the S&P 500 has seen nine falls of 20% to 40% and three more of 40% or more since WWII (The study excludes 2022 from the analysis). Stocks recovered for an average of 14 months and 58 months after those dips. During the most recent bear market in February of 2020, the S&P 500 dropped 34%. However, by mid-August, the stock market had regained.
When there is a recession (a period of economic decline generally characterized by two quarters of dropping GDP) surrounding, the bear market tends to make a huge difference in how long equities continue to fall. Usually, the prediction of bear and bullish markets can be seen with the use of platforms.
Because of that, the popularity of trading platforms increased in the online trading industry. When it comes to Forex platforms compared you should consider that choosing the best one can increase the chances of making more profits. LPL Research showed that a stock and Forex market downturn often lasted longer when they were accompanied by a recession.
This year’s economic outlook is a little unclear, but there’s a silver lining in the cloud: Even though bear markets might be difficult, it’s actually better for investors when equities are down by 20%.
The main reason behind this is that investors can buy stocks at a lower price and, after the market recovers, sell them at a higher price, according to Ryan Detrick, LPL Financial’s chief market analyst. Some bears may be encouraged to persevere by the fact that a year after the start of a bear market, the median gain is over 24%.
Bear Market – Threat or Opportunity
Even though some investors think that bear markets aren’t good for their investments, it should be stated that traders can still take advantage of this market situation.
The main thing about a bear market is that the prices of assets go down. For those investors who want to buy and hold stocks or other assets, this is one of the best opportunities. Those who want to get profits should invest their money in the stocks that are most likely to increase in value.
For example, if you see that Amazon stocks are decreasing during the bear market, it can be one of the best situations for you as an investor to make more money in the future. Why is that so? The main idea lies behind the company’s potential. Amazon is one of the biggest companies around the world, with billions of consumers. For this reason, this company is going to rebound and return to its old price level.
In addition to that, those investors who want to see benefits in the moment of a bear market can read more about the “lipstick effect.” What is it exactly? The lipstick effect shows that in the moment of a market downturn, those companies that are in the industry of cosmetics are the least influenced by the market drop. So if you are an investor who likes more stable stocks, you can take advantage of this situation as well and get the most out of your investing process.
Another option during the bear market is to wait. You just have to sit and do nothing. You have to wait until the market recovers, and the price of your shares will increase once again.
As terrible as a bear market might be, it’s generally only temporary. It is critical for an investor to choose long-term assets with a focus on quality while also maintaining a close check on positions that may need additional attention, such as growth companies or other investments with a high potential for volatility.
