What may be a record-setting bull market—and the threat of a pending bear market— seem to be dominating financial headlines. Bull market? Bear market? What do they mean and do they matter?

The answer: it depends on who you ask. There’s no consensus on what constitutes either type of market, but most everyone in the financial industry has an opinion on the definitions.

Bull and Bear Markets: The Definitions

One of the most common definitions of a bull market is a gain of 20 percent or more for the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index from a prior low. It’s associated with growth and optimism. A bear market is when the S&P 500 suffers a 20 percent drop from a previous high. It describes an economic trend in which there is pessimism about the market.

The LPL Bull Market Discussion

Here’s the latest from LPL Financial Research on the bull market situation. Check back for updates as the discussions continue.

From LPL Research

• LPL Financial Market Signals (Podcast): Bull Market, Turkey, and Emerging Markets

LPL in the Media

• Bull Market Is Really Old. Does That Mean It's at Death's Door ...
  Bloomberg.com
  “A 9-year-plus bull market is undoubtedly old, but we don't think that means it's necessarily near an end,” said John Lynch, chief investment strategist at LPL ...

• What Can Stop This Bull Market? - WSJ
  Wall Street Journal.com
  Old age isn't enough to kill a bull market, until it is. ... 'Bull markets don't die of old age; they die of excess,” wrote strategists at LPL Research in a note last week.

• Record Bull Market Poised to Run Further as Trump Frets Over Fed ...
  The Street.com
  According to the brokerage firm LPL Research, the current bull market started on March 9, 2009, in the wake of the financial crisis. According to CNBC.com, the ...

• The Finance 202: Today will mark the longest stock rally in U.S. history ...
  Washington Post.com
  Here's what it looks like compared to the other longest rallies, via LPL Financial: ... Andy Sieg, head of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, made the case to Barron's last week for ignoring suggestions that the bull market is .... (John Raoux/AP).

• Is This Really the Longest Bull Market in History?
  Investopedia
  This chart from Ryan Detrick of LPL Financial is a nice way of looking at the longest ... If we take Detrick's position that this is indeed the longest bull market in ...

• Wall Street ties record rally as S&P 500 hits all-time high - New York Post
  New York Post.com
  Tax reform and fiscal policy are “not just a sugar high,” Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial, told The Post. “It is very likely equities will continue ...

• Market milestone: This is the longest bull run in history ...
  Hartford Business.com
  "While this bull market and economic recovery may very well be old," LPL Financial strategists wrote to clients, "we see few signs that suggest an end is near.".

• This is the longest bull run in history – Finance Magazine
  Go Eagle Search.com
   “While this bull market and economic recovery may very well be old,” LPL Financial strategists wrote to clients, “we see few signs that suggest an end is near.”.

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The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. The economic forecasts set forth in this material may not develop as predicted. All indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.