The definition of a bear market is when the index declines by at least 20% from its prior peak. In a bear market, investors rush to sell their stocks before they lose more value which, in turn, de presses stock prices in the near term.

2. Is India in a bear market as of now?

The benchmark indices have declined more than 20% from its peak which indicates that India has entered a bear phase.On February 11, 2016, the broader index fell by 23.5% from its high in March 2015.Typically , in a bear market, almost all sectoral indices witness a sharp fall.This time the sharp declines have been in PSU bank stocks, met als, infrastructure and real estate stocks.

3. How many times have Indian markets entered the bear phase in the past?

India has witnessed bear mar kets in two periods in the last 15 years -once from January 2008 to March 2009. This was sparked by the global financial crisis after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The second one was between November 2010 and January 2012 when the market fall was due to rupee depreciation and bloating current account deficit

3. How have Indian markets performed after a year in a bear market?

After the first bear market, the index moved up almost 100% in the following year while in the second phase it recovered more than 125% in the next one year. The rally was due to huge foreign inflows as valuations of stocks became attractive.