Bear market

Börseab 9 J.

A phase of falling stock prices (at least −20% from the peak). The bear strikes DOWNWARDS with its paw. Lasts 1.5 years on average – a recovery has always followed.

A bear market is a phase in which share prices fall more than 20% from their last peak.

Why a bear? The bear strikes downwards with its paw – like falling prices.

Historical bear markets:

• 2000–2002: dotcom crash. Nasdaq: −78%. Duration: 2.5 years
• 2007–2009: financial crisis. S&P 500: −57%. Duration: 1.5 years
• 2020: coronavirus crash. DAX: −40%. Duration: only 5 weeks (!)
• 2022: interest rate turnaround. S&P 500: −25%. Duration: 10 months

The most important statistic:

• Average duration of a bear market: 1.5 years
• Average duration of a bull market: 6 years
• EVERY bear market in history has been followed by a bull market – without exception

What you should do in a bear market:

✅ DON'T sell. You'd realise losses that would recover
✅ Keep your savings plan running. You buy in more cheaply (cost-average effect!)
✅ If possible: buy more. Bear markets are the best buying opportunities
❌ NEVER panic-sell everything

Did you know? Anyone who had invested €10,000 in the S&P 500 at the worst moment of the financial crisis (March 2009) would have had around €85,000 by the end of 2024. That bear market was the biggest buying opportunity of the last 50 years.

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