2009: Out Of The Crisis With The Stock Market Bear!

Even the bear, the symbol par excellence for tumbling share prices, has had enough of the global financial crisis and is once again hoping for rising prices and a kick-start of the economy. "Please buy shares so that prices rise again at last", is what this bear in the picture seems to say.

But do you know how the market operators came to bear and bull?

The stock markets are always at the centre of some animalic intensity and experience a constant fight between bears and bulls. Currently the furry species have the upper hand. Their horned competition that had called the shorts for many years, is now suffering a deadly silence. The mood remains bearish as the market operators call it.

The bear is somewhat like the vulture of the stock markets. The bulls in contrast are those in charge in a so-called bull market, when prices are rocketing again.

This symbolic pair apparently goes back to the 16th century, when a Spanish littérateur visited the then dominating stock market in Amsterdam. Watching the hustle and bustle of the market traders reminded him of a special bullfight variant in South America, where in some arenas bulls fight against bears.

If a bear hits out at an opponent or victim, he strikes his paw from top to bottom. The bull in contrast buts his horns from the bottom up, which means in stock market terms that bears thrash the prices down, whilst bulls apply an upward movement heaving the value of shares to the top.

But nevertheless you should now listen to the stock market bear to come out of the crises this year!

We wish you a happy new year!