How does the nascent stock market rally compare with the 1929-1932 bear market, which also included bank failures, bankruptcies, severe stock market declines, etc.?
For some perspective, Chart of the Day provided the graph below, illustrating the duration (calendar days) and magnitude (percentage gain) of all significant Dow rallies during the 1929-1932 bear market (solid blue dots).
As the chart shows, the duration of the current rally of the Dow Jones Industrial Index (hollow blue dot labeled “You are here”) is longer than that of any of the rallies that occurred during the 1929-1932 bear market. The bear market rally that began in November 1929 lasted 155 calendar days and occupies the second position. However, as far as magnitude is concerned, the November 1929 rally (+48%) resulted in a better performance than the 46% gain of the Dow since the low of March 9.
Source: Chart of the Day, August 28, 2009.
