Bear Market Retrospective
Did you make money?
By Michael Nauss, CMT
It’s official — we’ve made new all-time highs in the markets as of Friday morning. These moments are rare, and they present a unique opportunity: not just to profit, but to reflect.
This week, I’m taking a step back and doing a post-mortem on the bear market — grading myself, my systems, and the voices I listened to.
🔍 5 Key Takeaways From This Market Cycle:
Bear markets are happening faster and more frequently.
We've seen five major selloffs since 2016. Get used to them — but more importantly, plan for them.Ignore the noise.
I followed my system through this bear cycle. But I also doom-scrolled way too much. Next time? I’m muting more, scrolling less.Systems win, feelings lose.
When the market tanked, my systems were in drawdown. I didn’t feel great, but I stuck with them — and they recovered just like the backtests said they would.Don’t be “that guy.”
The ones who said "this is a bubble" in 2009… and again in 2020… and now in 2025… are the same ones missing out. If you're not at equity highs, it's time to reflect.Have a system or get one.
You either have a system you follow, or you're reacting to news and price. One of those paths leads to results. The other leads to burnout.
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If you don’t have a system, come grab one. If you have one and you’re not following it — ask yourself why. Then fix that.