Market Analysis

The Trading Post: When will the bear market end?

A good bear market rout offers a once-in-a-decade opportunity to pick up solid profitable firms at a huge discount, writes markets analyst Ian Murphy

A bear market occurs when a broad-based stock market index declines 20 per cent or more and it gets its name from the way a bear claws downwards when attacking, whereas a bull strikes upwards. Picture: Getty

When stocks turn bearish the old timers on Wall Street say one should “run fast or not at all”. That sounds like shrewd advice, but like most pithy slogans in the market, it raises as many questions as it provides answers.

If you are actively trading stocks for the short-term, timing is everything because the ability to identify a turning point in a financial instrument is usually the difference between a profit or a loss. ...