Stocks have been in a bear market since early last year. The culprit is the concern that raising interest rates to combat inflation will slow the economy. That would affect the growth prospects of many companies. 

However, because the economy is cyclical, a recovery will eventually occur, setting off a new bull market. Three stocks that would benefit if a bull market started soon are NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), A. O. Smith (NYSE: AOS), and 3M (NYSE: MMM). Here's why a few Fool.com contributors think a bull market could be a big catalyst for their share prices. 

Matt DiLallo (NextEra Energy): Investors tend to focus on the negatives during bear markets. Because of that, they often sell shares at any hint of trouble. However, they usually take the opposite approach during a bull market, focusing almost entirely on a company's upside potential.

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Source Fool.com