Flashback to March 9, 2009: The US stock market was scorched terrain.
That was the lowest of the lows in an epic stock crash in the wake of the global financial crisis.
No Respect
Then everything got better.
Stocks took off and the bull market has never looked back, though there have been some scary moments in 2016.
The irony is that this is one unloved rally.
Investors pulled money out of the stocks on a net basis through much of 2009-2012 and did the same starting in late 2015.
Bullish sentiment has come in below 40% for the 18th straight week, according to the latest poll of investor sentiment by AAII.
$14 Trillion
Yet here are a couple of facts worth considering.
First, the the Standard & Poor 500 Index has climbed nearly 200% since March of 2009.
The bull market has also restored $14 trillion to stock values along the way.
Age Marks
Then there’s the fact that this rally is really a survivor. A steep sell-off in January threatened its viability, the market has rallied in recent weeks.
In fact, it is the third longest in history, according to Bloomberg.
Takeaway
So whether you’re a bull or bear or out of the market completely, take a moment and tip your hat to the current rally age marks and all.
It has taken a lot of abuse, but just keeps rolling along.
Photo Credit: htmvalerio via Flickr Creative Commons
