A bull market rises 20%+ amid confidence, liquidity and earnings growth; a bear market falls 20%+ amid fear, tightening or recession. The labels describe sustained regimes, not single weeks.
Strategy follows regime: bulls reward buying dips and riding momentum; bears reward cash, quality balance sheets and staggered entries. Most investor damage comes from using bull tactics in bear markets.
Example
2020–21's liquidity bull forgave every mistake; 2022's rate-shock bear punished them. Same investors, opposite outcomes - regime did the work.
In Ticker Screener
Market Mood, breadth and heatmaps show regime shifts forming: narrowing breadth plus greed-zone mood has preceded most recent pullbacks.
Frequently asked questions
Are we in a bull or bear market now?
Check the gauges, not gurus: index vs 200-day average, breadth trend, MMI/Fear-Greed zone. The extension surfaces all three live.
Related terms
Market Mood Index (MMI)
Tickertape's live 0–100 sentiment gauge for Indian stocks - the desi Fear & Greed, from extreme fear to extreme greed.
Fear & Greed Index
CNN's 0–100 gauge of US market sentiment across seven inputs. Extreme fear often marks opportunity; extreme greed marks danger.
Advance-Decline Ratio
Winners divided by losers across the market. Above 1 means broad gains; below 1, broad pain - breadth in one number.
US Slowdown Playbook: Rebalancing Indian Portfolios
US 1.5% real vs 8% nominal growth, Fed heading to 4.25%, recession odds debated. Five rebalancing levers - quality screens, duration barbell, export hedge, IPO selectivity, cash calendar.
P/E, ROCE, ROE, P/B, dividend yield and market cap — live beside every price in your watchlist.