Bear market: what it means, how long it lasts and where stocks and Bitcoin stand in 2026

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry a high degree of risk. Always conduct your own research.Bitcoin has been in a bear market since November 2025, and the Nasdaq 100 is closing in on the threshold. What a bear market is, how long it lasts on average, how to spot its end and what you can do now, worked out from 27 S&P 500 bear markets since 1928.Illustration, AI-generatedAdd as a preferred source on GoogleFollow on Google NewsA bear market is a period of falling prices in which a market trades at least 20 percent below its last high. The S&P 500 has gone through exactly 27 bear markets since 1928; on average prices fell 35 percent, and 9.4 months passed from peak to trough. As of November 5, 2026, Bitcoin is in the middle of a bear market, 39 percent below its record from October 2025. The Nasdaq 100 is in a correction, 14.7 percent off its high, while the S&P 500 and the DAX are far from the threshold. Here you will learn what the term bear market means and where it comes from, how long bear markets in stocks and Bitcoin have lasted, how to recognise the en...