The S&P 500 is in a bear market, here’s what that means

Why is it called bear market? A bear market is a term used by Wall Street when an index like the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, or even an individual stock, has fallen 20% or more from a recent high for a sustained period of time.

NEW YORK: Wall Street is back in the claws of a bear market as worries about inflation and higher interest rates overwhelm investors.

The Federal Reserve (Fed) has signalled it will aggressively raise interest rates to try to control inflation, which is the highest in decades.