What does 'a bull market' mean?

A bull market is a financial market trend in which prices are rising or are expected to rise. The term "bull market" is most often used to refer to the stock market but can be applied to anything that is traded, such as bonds, currencies and commodities. A bull market is the condition of a broad market or single market in which prices are continuously rising. Investors make money at any price at which they buy an investment because prices generally continue to rise. Think of a bull market as when a bull uses its horns in an upward motion. Think of a bear swiping downward with its claws, knocking the market down, which is called a bear market.

A bull market generally lasts until prices have risen for so long that investors begin to believe that prices will continue going up. Investor's belief about stock prices influence the prices themselves in a self-fulfilling prophecy- a term used in investing that refers to investors creating the market circumstances- which results in higher prices because investors are causing the prices to rise.