bull market
Bull market (noun) means a period in which the prices of shares or other investments rise strongly and keep rising over months or years, and buyers generally expect that to continue. Example: “The longest bull market in the country's history ran for more than a decade.”
How to use bull market
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA long stretch where investments keep getting more valuable.
Standard across financial journalism and everyday speech. Also used loosely outside finance, as in a bull market for graduates.
Bull and bear always come as a pair; if you remember one direction you can work out the other.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The longest _____ in the country's history ran for more than a decade.
Etymology
From bull, stock-market slang for someone buying in expectation of rising prices, plus market; formed as the counterpart to bear market.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for bull market
See all rhymes for bull market →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bull market and a rally?
A rally is any run of rising prices, and it can last a few days. A bull market is a much longer stretch, usually measured in months or years, during which the general direction is upward. Short rallies happen inside bear markets too, which is why they are sometimes called bear-market rallies.
How is the start of a bull market decided?
There is no official body that declares one. Commentators most often date it from the lowest point of the previous decline, and only say the bull market has begun once prices have risen roughly twenty per cent above that low. Because the low is only obvious in hindsight, the starting date is usually assigned after the fact.
Does bullish mean the same thing?
Bullish describes an attitude rather than a period. Someone bullish on a company expects its value to rise. A bull market is the market-wide condition in which many people feel that way at once.
What is the meaning of bull market?
"bull market" (noun) means a period in which the prices of shares or other investments rise strongly and keep rising over months or years, and buyers generally expect that to continue.