Trading

Bear market

A broad, sustained market decline, commonly associated with a drop of roughly 20% or more.

Plain-English context

Put the definition to work.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

An index falling from 100 to 80 illustrates the often-used 20% decline convention; it does not establish when recovery will occur.

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

The 20% convention is a label, not a trading rule, and an individual stock's decline need not describe the whole market.

Further reading and verification. Examples are hypothetical, not current quotes or recommendations. Product terms, tax treatment and market rules can change. FINRA — order types and execution

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