LESSON 9 / 100
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TSLA248.42+3.80%·
NVDA875.39+2.10%·
AMD168.75+1.90%·
AMZN185.90+1.30%·
AAPL189.84+1.20%·
NFLX628.40+1.10%·
GOOGL174.11+0.90%·
MSFT415.06+0.80%·
META502.12+0.60%·
SPY521.67+0.40%·

Section 1 · Stock Fundamentals

Bull Markets vs. Bear Markets

The two modes the market is always in — and how to tell them apart.

A bull charges up. A bear swipes down.

A bull market is a prolonged period of rising stock prices — generally defined as a 20%+ rise. A bear market is a prolonged decline of 20% or more. Most of the time (roughly 75%) the market is in bull mode. Bear markets are shorter but brutal — and they create the best short-side momentum opportunities.

3 things to know

📈

The average bull market lasts about 5 years and gains over 150%.

📉

The average bear market lasts about 10 months and loses around 35%.

⚡

The fastest bear market ever: March 2020 — a 33% drop in just 33 days.

Dive Deeper

Bull Market
Bear Market
20%+ rise from a recent low
20%+ decline from a recent high
Avg duration: ~5 years
Avg duration: ~10 months
Avg gain: +150%+
Avg loss: -35%
Momentum longs dominate
Short-selling opportunities emerge
Easy — just ride the wave
Brutal — requires discipline and hedging

Key vocabulary — tap each card

Practice

True or false?

Statement 1 of 4

The average bear market lasts longer than the average bull market.

💡

Did you know?

The longest bull market in history ran from March 2009 to February 2020 — nearly 11 years, gaining over 400%. It ended in exactly 33 days when COVID hit.

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🧠 Knowledge Check

1 / 3

Answer all questions correctly to unlock the next lesson

A bear market is technically defined as a decline of what percentage or more?