The stock market is having an extremely positive year. The benchmark S 500 index is up 19%, and the Nasdaq-100 technology index has gained 46%. Both came into 2023 nursing brutal losses from 2022 that plunged them into bear territory.

Historical data proves consecutive down years are incredibly rare, so the odds of a bounce back in 2023 were high. Now that it has happened, investors might be wondering what 2024 has in store. Well, for both the S 500 and the Nasdaq-100, bounce-back years like 2023 have always been followed by another positive year.

When a stock index like the S 500 falls by 20% from its all-time high, experts agree it constitutes a technical bear market. That occurred in 2022, but the index has risen 27% since marking its low point in October last year, leading to a debate on Wall Street about the official classification of the market right now.

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Source Fool.com