bear market

bear market

noun

Definition of BEAR MARKET

: a market in which securities or commodities are persistently declining in value — compare bull market

Origin of BEAR MARKET

¹bear (one that sells in expectation of a price decline)

First Known Use: 1892

Rhymes with BEAR MARKET

black market, bull market, down-market, flea market, free market, gray market, mass-market, meat market, newmarket, stock market, test-market, third market, upmarket

bear market

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In securities and commodities trading, a declining market. A bear is an investor who expects prices to decline and, on this assumption, sells a borrowed security or commodity in the hope of buying it back later at a lower price, a speculative transaction called short-selling. See also bull market.