How old is this bull market?
Bull markets don’t die of old age, but knowing how long and how far this one has run, against the ones before it, puts today’s gains in context and shows how deep the dips inside a bull market usually get.
Updated Oct 9, 2026
4.0 years old
The current bull market began on October 12, 2022, 4.0 years ago, and the S&P 500 has gained 118% since. That is longer than 50% of the bull markets since 1995, whose median ran 3.5 years and gained 105%.
Every bull market since 1995
The length of each bull market in years, with the one under way at the top.
Bull and bear markets since 1995
Most recent first. Change runs from the start of each phase to its end, or to today for the one under way. Select a column to sort.
| Phase | Start | End | Years | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bull market Under way | Oct 2022 | Now | 4.0 | +118% |
Bear market | Jan 2022 | Oct 2022 | 0.8 | −25% |
Bull market | Mar 2020 | Jan 2022 | 1.8 | +114% |
Bear market | Feb 2020 | Mar 2020 | 0.1 | −34% |
Bull market | Dec 2018 | Feb 2020 | 1.2 | +44% |
Bear market | Sep 2018 | Dec 2018 | 0.3 | −20% |
Bull market | Mar 2009 | Sep 2018 | 9.5 | +331% |
Bear market | Jan 2009 | Mar 2009 | 0.2 | −27% |
Bear-market rally | Nov 2008 | Jan 2009 | 0.1 | +24% |
Bear market | Oct 2007 | Nov 2008 | 1.1 | −52% |
Bull market | Jul 2002 | Oct 2007 | 5.2 | +96% |
Bear market | Jan 2002 | Jul 2002 | 0.5 | −32% |
Bear-market rally | Sep 2001 | Jan 2002 | 0.3 | +21% |
Bear market | Mar 2000 | Sep 2001 | 1.5 | −37% |
Bull market Starts before our data | Jan 1995 | Mar 2000 | 5.2 | +235% |
How to read this page
How it’s measured. S&P 500 closing prices since 1995, from the SPY fund. A bear market is a fall of 20% or more from a peak; a bull market runs from the low of one bear market to the peak before the next. Rallies of 20% that fade within six months count as part of the bear market.
Sources. Daily prices from Financial Modeling Prep.
Prices exclude dividends and use daily closes, so the dates can differ by days from published lists that use intraday lows. Our data starts in 1995, in the middle of the 1990s bull market, which is left out of the comparison.
Age alone has not predicted when a bull market ends; most end with a recession or a shock. This is context, not a countdown.
This page is information, not investment advice. About our data and methods ›