Bear Market

What Does it Mean?
A market condition in which the prices of securities are falling, and widespread pessimism causes the negative sentiment to be self-sustaining. As investors anticipate losses in a bear market, selling continues, which then creates further pessimism. Although figures can vary, for many a downturn of 20% or more in multiple broad market indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) or Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500), over at least a two-month period, is considered an entry into a bear market.
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Investopedia Says...
Not to be confused with a correction, which is a short-term trend that has a duration shorter than two months. While corrections are often a great place for a value investor to find an entry point, bear markets rarely provide great entry points as timing the bottom is very difficult to do.