bear market

American  

[bair mahr-kit] / ˈbɛər ˈmɑr kɪt /

noun

Stock Exchange.

1. a financial market characterized by investment prices that are falling or that are forecast to fall.

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bear market Cultural  

1. A market, especially a stock market, characterized by falling prices; the opposite of a bull market.

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Etymology

Origin of bear market

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

It’s now down as much as 23% from its closing high, meeting the technical definition of a bear market.

From MarketWatch

You’ll experience losses when a bear market comes, but most active managers will do even worse.

From The Wall Street Journal

It found that a majority of actively managed portfolios underperformed the market indexes even during a crushing bear market.

From The Wall Street Journal

After that, another 10% decline puts them in a bear market.

From MarketWatch

Basically, account withdrawals during a bear market are more damaging than the same withdrawals in a bull market, because you’re selling when stock values are down.

From MarketWatch