I analyzed 25+ years of #Nifty data to better understand bear markets 🐻

Why?

Given the recent market sell-off and bearish stance of market participants, history and data is your best guide to prepare if we're headed for a bear market.

Thread with findings below 🧵👇
1/n

But first, do you know the definition of a bear market?

When any index falls 20% or more from it's all time high, it is termed to be in a #bearmarket 🐻

How do you calculate length of a bear market? The time duration in days from previous all-time high to market bottom.

2/n
🇮🇳 Nifty last 25 years (1997-2022*)

Number of Bear Markets = 8

Average drawdown % = -38.5%

Average bear market duration = 246 days (8 m)

Key takeaway - Bear markets occur every ~3 years and take on average 8 months to bottom

3/n
1997 and 2006 saw the fastest bear markets with Nifty correcting 20-30% in just ~1 month.

Unbelievably, 1997 had 2 bear markets! Just imagine suffering 20% drawdowns twice in a few months!

Mar 2020 Covid crash was the 3rd fastest and 3rd worst bear market.

4/n
Okay, how should we define Bear Market Recovery?

The no of days from market bottom to a new all-time high.

Sadly, bear markets take time to recover.

Almost double the time to recover to a new ATH compared to the time to form a bottom.

Avg recovery duration – 495 days

5/n
Every cloud has a silver lining.

495 days or 16 months is the avg bear market recovery duration but they have been as short as 78 days (1997) or 138 days (2006).

5 out of 8 bear markets recovered within 8 months

Takeaway – Most bear markets recover within a year
6/n
Bull Markets 🐂 have Bear Phases 🐻

We have all heard about 2003-07 bull market.

Nifty went ~7x in 5 years

April 2003 - 920
Jan 2008 - 6357

But even one of India's biggest bull markets had 2 bear markets in 2004 and 2006.

Bull markets never go up in a straight line.

7/n
Key Question - So do you need to wait ~3 years for a bear market to buy equities?

The answer to this question has gradually changed in the past 25 years.

Between 1997-2013, the market was in bear market territory every single year barring just 2 years.

8/n
You will hardly believe the next insight given how strong India's markets have been in the recent past.

But in a span of 17 years between 1997-2013, our markets spent close to ~50% time in bear market (20%+ decline) territory.

9/n
However, since 2013 🇮🇳 markets have been extremely resilient with just 2 bear markets in 9 years.

Complete opposite to above chart, Nifty has spent 50% time in last 9 years near ATHs.

And spent just 4% time in bear market territory

10/n
In the last 8.5 years, markets have corrected ~15% every other year and I cannot predict if the 25-30% frequent drawdowns between 1997-2013 will become the norm anytime soon.

So, 15%+ declines from ATH can be used as a good metric to increase equity allocation in my view.

11/n
This thread took me 15+ hours of research and writing, so please retweet if you find it useful.

I will create a separate thread for bear markets in small caps if this thread gets enough traction.

Summary and Learnings of last 25 years of Bear Markets in 🇮🇳👇

12/n
Bear Market Summary

1. 🐻 occurs every ~3 years and avg 8 months to bottom

2. 🇮🇳 has only seen 2 bear markets in last 9 years

3. 🐻 recoveries take double the time (16 months)

4. Bull 🐂 markets can have multiple 🐻 phases

5. Increase equity allocation on 15%+ declines

END

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॥ॐ॥
अस्य श्री गायत्री ध्यान श्लोक:
(gAyatri dhyAna shlOka)
• This shloka to meditate personified form of वेदमाता गायत्री was given by Bhagwaan Brahma to Sage yAgnavalkya (याज्ञवल्क्य).

• 14th shloka of गायत्री कवचम् which is taken from वशिष्ठ संहिता, goes as follows..


• मुक्ता-विद्रुम-हेम-नील धवलच्छायैर्मुखस्त्रीक्षणै:।
muktA vidruma hEma nIla dhavalachhAyaiH mukhaistrlkShaNaiH.

• युक्तामिन्दुकला-निबद्धमुकुटां तत्वार्थवर्णात्मिकाम्॥
yuktAmindukalA nibaddha makutAm tatvArtha varNAtmikam.

• गायत्रीं वरदाभयाङ्कुश कशां शुभ्रं कपालं गदाम्।
gAyatrIm vardAbhayANkusha kashAm shubhram kapAlam gadAm.

• शंखं चक्रमथारविन्दयुगलं हस्तैर्वहन्ती भजै॥
shankham chakramathArvinda yugalam hastairvahantIm bhajE.

This shloka describes the form of वेदमाता गायत्री.

• It says, "She has five faces which shine with the colours of a Pearl 'मुक्ता', Coral 'विद्रुम', Gold 'हेम्', Sapphire 'नील्', & a Diamond 'धवलम्'.

• These five faces are symbolic of the five primordial elements called पञ्चमहाभूत:' which makes up the entire existence.

• These are the elements of SPACE, FIRE, WIND, EARTH & WATER.

• All these five faces shine with three eyes 'त्रिक्षणै:'.
1/ Here’s a list of conversational frameworks I’ve picked up that have been helpful.

Please add your own.

2/ The Magic Question: "What would need to be true for you


3/ On evaluating where someone’s head is at regarding a topic they are being wishy-washy about or delaying.

“Gun to the head—what would you decide now?”

“Fast forward 6 months after your sabbatical--how would you decide: what criteria is most important to you?”

4/ Other Q’s re: decisions:

“Putting aside a list of pros/cons, what’s the *one* reason you’re doing this?” “Why is that the most important reason?”

“What’s end-game here?”

“What does success look like in a world where you pick that path?”

5/ When listening, after empathizing, and wanting to help them make their own decisions without imposing your world view:

“What would the best version of yourself do”?