a stock market that is experiencing a decline in stock prices (in general/aggregate/category/etc.).
the decline is often attributed to:
(i) investor pessimism; and/or
(ii) a faltering economy.
It can affect the entire stock market index (eg, the S&P 500); or it can affect individual stocks.
the benchmark for the decline is often set at a 20% drop;
the duration of the decline is typically set at multiple months (or even years)
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