Bullish and Bearish

A bull and a bear walk into the stock market. Sounds like the start of a joke, right? It's not. These two animals are the most famous words in all of investing. Let me introduce you.

This is the bull. When someone says they're "bullish," it means they think prices are going up — and they want to BUY. Think about how a bull attacks: it charges forward, horns thrusting UP into the air. Up, up, up — just like prices when a bull market is running. Bullish means: buy, buy, buy!

And this is the bear. When someone says they're "bearish," it means they think prices are going down — and they want to SELL. Think about how a bear attacks: it swipes its huge paw DOWN. Down, down, down — just like prices in a bear market. Bearish means: sell, sell, sell!

Here's the fun part: the whole stock market is just these two fighting it out, every single day. When the bulls are winning — more buyers than sellers — prices climb. That's a bull market. When the bears are winning — more sellers than buyers — prices fall. That's a bear market. Back and forth, forever.

So next time you hear someone on the news say "I'm bullish" or "I'm bearish," you'll know exactly what they mean. Bull says buy — prices going up. Bear says sell — prices going down. Two animals. The whole market. Now you know.