Ricardo Mashregi: How Bulls and Bears Came to Represent

Market Trends

Ricardo Mashregi leads the Canadian proprietary equity trading organization KNC Ticker Group Inc. as

company president. With over two decades of professional trading experience, Ricardo Mashregi is

committed to professional development through regular participation in industry courses covering such specialized topics as commodities, general securities, limited futures, competitive options, and computer-

assisted trading.

Complex analytical methods have been developed to examine market trends, yet one very simple concept

prevails: the stock prices will either rise or fall. When the market is on the rise and the future looks

optimistic, it is known as a bull market. The person who believes that stocks will travel upwards is referred

to as a bull. During a bear market, the opposite scenario applies: stock prices are falling, and the

pessimistic trader is known as a bear.

Opinions vary as to where the terms originated. A popular blood sport in centuries past involved bull and bear fighting, and the terms may reference how bulls

and bears fight: the bull strikes upwards with its horns, whereas the bear swipes down with its paws.