pullback

But even the slight pullback can’t hide how well the stock market has performed since bottoming on Oct.

Economists and other experts have long repeated the conventional wisdom that the stock market isn’t the economy, meaning that temporary pullbacks on Wall Street don’t always ripple as far as the average American’s pocketbook.

“Those capable of looking past short-term market noise may find compelling opportunities to establish or add to positions during temporary pullbacks.”

And they were pullbacks of a magnitude that may have caused bulls to fear the good times were over.

It’s helpful to note that bear markets, typically defined as a 20% pullback in a major stock benchmark, are inevitable, but they don’t tend to last long.