Bull Market
A sustained period of rising prices, when buyers dominate and optimism pushes valuations higher across the market.
A bull market describes an extended run of rising prices. In crypto it can be violent: Bitcoin climbed from roughly $16,000 in late 2022 to a new high above $100,000 by late 2024. The mood feeds itself. Higher prices draw new money, which pushes prices higher still.
There's no official threshold, but traders often mark a bull market once a major asset rises 20% or more from a recent low and keeps climbing. The danger is that conviction peaks right before the top. Bull runs end when buyers run out, not when the news turns bad.
Related terms
A prolonged stretch of falling prices and weak sentiment, usually marked by a drop of 20% or more.
BullishDescribes an expectation that a price will rise, or a trader positioned to profit from gains.
All-Time High (ATH)The highest price an asset has ever reached, a closely watched marker of a market's peak.
VolatilityA measure of how sharply and how often a price swings, in either direction, over time.