What is the difference between a bull market and a bear market?

A bull market occurs when stock market indexes are rising, eventually hitting new highs. Historically, bull markets tend to last longer than bear markets. Bear and bull markets can affect investor confidence and behavior. At the most basic level, a bear market describes times when stock prices fall, and a bull market is when they’re going up.

Are bull markets a part of the stock market lifecycle?

For better or worse, both bull markets and bear markets are a part of the stock market lifecycle: You must experience the lows of the bear market to reach the highs of the bull.

Where did the bull vs Bear market come from?

Another theory on the bull vs. bear market origin has the term "bull" referring not to the animal but bulletins to buy stocks on the London Stock Exchange in the 17th century. A board full of bulletins signaled a strong market vs. when it was bare.