Bull Market

A bull market is when stock prices are rising over an extended period, and investors feel optimistic about the economy. You'll hear this term constantly in financial news and market discussions because it affects how people invest—during bull markets, more folks buy stocks hoping to profit from the upward trend. The opposite is a bear market, when prices fall and sentiment turns pessimistic. Bull markets can last months or years, and they're generally good news for your portfolio if you own stocks. For example, if TechCorp and RetailCo both climbed 40% over the past year while the overall market surged, you'd probably say we're in a bull market. The name supposedly comes from how a bull thrusts its horns upward—symbolizing rising prices.