On March 6, 2009 the market officially hit bottom with the S&P at 666 (yes, that is an ominous place to start something good). From there we have enjoyed a healthy and lengthy bull market.
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. So as active investors it behooves us to contemplate what will bring about the end to this bull rally.
Traditionally these are the 2 main reasons that end a bull market and bring about the next bear.
* Recession on the way.
* Stocks very overvalued.
By far, most bulls find their demise because of a looming recession. However, there are occassions, like in 2000, where valuation was the main concern (read: tech bubble).
The easy money is to say that this bull market will end 4 to 6 months before the next recession. That is because investors have a good track record of sniffing these things out in advance and heading for the exits.
But what is trickier at this time, is to say WHEN it will take place. Pick your time range below and then provide your rationale in the comments section below.
1) Right now
2) By end of 2013
3) First half of 2014
4) Second half of 2014
5) 2015 or beyond. Read the analyst report on SPYRead the analyst report on IWMRead the analyst report on DIARead the analyst report on QQQZacks Investment Research
Weak hiring and worries about a protracted government shutdown pushed the U.S. stock market lower Wednesday.