Bear : An operator who expects the share price to fall
Bear Market : A weak and falling market where buyers are absent
Bull : An operator who expects the share price to rise and takes position in the market to sell at a later date.
Bull Market : A rising market where buyers far outnumber the sellers
A stock market bull is someone who has a very optimistic view of the market; they may be stock-holders or maybe investors who aggressively buy and sell stocks quickly. A bear investor, on the other hand, is pessimistic about the market and may make more conservative stock choices. Sometimes, the terms are used to refer to specific funds or stocks. Bear market funds, for example, are those that are falling and faring poorly. Investors sometimes refer to bull stocks to describe securities that are aggressively rising and making their investors money.
What Drives Bear and Bull Markets?
The stock market is affected by many economic factors. High employment levels, strong economy, and stable social and economic conditions generally build investor confidence and encourage investors to put their money in the stock market. Often, this can bolster bull markets. Also, new technologies and companies that encourage investors to put their money in stocks can create bull markets. For example, in the 1990s, the dot com craze encouraged many investors to put their money in stocks that they felt would keep increasing. In some cases, a bullish market is simply self-perpetuating. Since the market is doing well, it only encourages investors to invest more money or to start investing.
How To Predict Bear and Bull Markets?
The easiest way to predict both types of markets is to realize that what goes up must come down. That is, if the market is rising, then you know that at some point it will start to fall again. Similarly, if the market is currently falling, you can be certain that eventually it will pick up again. There are no precise ways to predict either bull or bear markets, although general social economic situations can help you to determine what will happen. A country which wages a war will experience bullish market conditions as government contracts create more jobs and boost investor confidence if their expectation is to win. Sudden international crises push the market downward and create bearish conditions. News is very often a good indicator of where investors are headed. The reports will inform about loss of investor confidence as well as sudden economic downturns that may affect the market.