Bull market vs Bear market

[4metals]

I know a bear market is going down and a bull market is going up but I am curious as to where the names came from? I have been told stories explaining the origin of each, but I never heard it from anything I would consider an official source.

Any bulls or bears out there willing to offer an explanation?

 

[Martijn]

"Bears on the road" generally mean trouble ahead? And there is that golden bull or calf statue in biblical reference. Bull worship. I think it goes back so far, it will remain a guess.
Curious to hear other input.

 

[anachronism]

Bulls swipe up, bears swipe down.

 

[4metals]

Bulls swipe up, bears swipe down.

That is a version of what I’ve heard. If attacked by a bull the bull puts it head and horns under you and throws you up into the air while a bear will stand up tall and come down on you driving you down.

Neither one a pleasant experience from a human perspective.

 

[markscomp]

Bulls swipe up, bears swipe down.

Change of subject for one day....
Happy 4th of July to everyone! I'd like to personally thank Jon for our freedom here in the states. King George has nothing on Jon.

On the Bull :
Merrill Lynch comes to mind

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill_(company)

 

[anachronism]

Change of subject for one day....
Happy 4th of July to everyone! I'd like to personally thank Jon for our freedom here in the states. King George has nothing on Jon.

On the Bull :
Merrill Lynch comes to mind

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill_(company)

/me headdesk.

 

[BShan]

The way I've always remembered is that bears climb UP trees, bulls will chase you down. Also I have to remember that it's backwards.

I'm not an efficient thinker.

 

[Darkthirty]

The way I've always remembered is that bears climb UP trees, bulls will chase you down. Also I have to remember that it's backwards.

I'm not an efficient thinker.

Where Do the Terms "Bull" and "Bear" Come From?​

The terms “bear” and “bull” are thought to derive from how each animal behaves. Bulls charge, so the nickname represents a surging stock market. In contrast, bears hibernate, so bears represent a market that’s retreating.
Investopedia definition. In my opinion, the "Market" has been BS since 2008 when algos became prevalent. If a bid/ask can be pulled in a microsecond before the trade can complete, the "market" theoretically can move with zero trades.