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Stock market cycles are proposed patterns that proponents argue may exist in stock markets. Many such cycles have been proposed, such as tying stock market changes to political leadership, or fluctuations in commodity prices. Some stock market designs are universally recognized (e.g., rotations between the dominance of value investing or growth stocks). However, many academics and professional investors are skeptical of any theory claiming to identify or predict stock market cycles precisely. Some sources argue identifying any such patterns as a "cycle" is a misnomer, because of their non-cyclical nature.[1] Economists using efficient-market hypothesis say that asset prices reflect all available information meaning that it is impossible to systematically beat the market by taking advantage of such cycles.[2]
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2010) |
Changes in stock returns are primarily determined by external factors such as the U.S. monetary policy, the economy, inflation, exchange rates, and socioeconomic conditions (e.g., the 2020-2021 coronavirus pandemic).[3] Intellectual capital does not affect a company stock's current earnings. Intellectual capital contributes to a stock's return growth.[4]
Economist Milton Friedman believed that for the most part, excluding very large supply shocks, business declines are more of a monetary phenomenon.[5] Despite the often-applied term cycles, the fluctuations in business economic activity do not exhibit uniform or predictable periodicity.[6]
According to standard theory, a decrease in price will result in less supply and more demand, while an increase in price will do the opposite. This works well for most assets but it often works in reverse for stocks due to the mistake many investors make of buying high in a state of euphoria and selling low in a state of fear or panic as a result of the herding instinct. In case an increase in price causes an increase in demand, or a decrease in price causes an increase in supply, this destroys the expected negative feedback loop and prices will be unstable.[7] This can be seen in a bubble or crash.[8]
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