Source: Investopedia
On Wall
Street, the bulls and bears are in a constant struggle. If you haven't heard of
these terms already, you undoubtedly will as you begin to invest.
The Bulls
A bull
market is when everything in the economy is great, people are finding jobs,
gross domestic product (GDP) is growing, and stocks are rising. Things are just
plain rosy! Picking stocks during a bull market is easier because everything is
going up. Bull markets cannot last forever though, and sometimes they can lead
to dangerous situations if stocks become overvalued. If a person is optimistic
and believes that stocks will go up, he or she is called a "bull" and
is said to have a "bullish outlook".
The Bears
A bear
market is when the economy is bad, recession is looming and stock prices are
falling. Bear markets make it tough for investors to pick profitable stocks.
One solution to this is to make money when stocks are falling using a technique
called short selling. Another strategy is to wait on the sidelines until you
feel that the bear market is nearing its end, only starting to buy in
anticipation of a bull market. If a person is pessimistic, believing that
stocks are going to drop, he or she is called a "bear" and said to
have a "bearish outlook".
The Other Animals on the Farm - Chickens and Pigs
Chickens
are afraid to lose anything. Their fear overrides their need to make profits and
so they turn only to money-market securities or get out of the markets
entirely. While it's true that you should never invest in something over which
you lose sleep, you are also guaranteed never to see any return if you avoid
the market completely and never take any risk,
Pigs are
high-risk investors looking for the one big score in a short period of time.
Pigs buy on hot tips and invest in companies without doing their due diligence.
They get impatient, greedy, and emotional about their investments, and they are
drawn to high-risk securities without putting in the proper time or money to
learn about these investment vehicles. Professional traders love the pigs, as
it's often from their losses that the bulls and bears reap their profits.
What Type of Investor Will You Be?
There are
plenty of different investment styles and strategies out there. Even though the
bulls and bears are constantly at odds, they can both make money with the
changing cycles in the market. Even the chickens see some returns, though not a
lot. The one loser in this picture is the pig.
Make sure
you don't get into the market before you are ready. Be conservative and never
invest in anything you do not understand. Before you jump in without the right
knowledge, think about this old stock market saying:
"Bulls
make money, bears make money, but pigs just get slaughtered!"
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