Here's Precisely How Long the Average Bull and Bear Market Has Lasted Since 1929

When investing in the stock market, no variable is more important than time. While picking out high-quality stocks can certainly improve your chance of building wealth on Wall Street, it's time that's consistently been investors' greatest ally.

This is a fact that can easily be lost on new and tenured investors given the emotions that often come into play during major swings higher and lower in the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), widely followed S 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and growth-dominated Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC). Over the previous two years, we've seen all three indexes scream to record-closing highs, as well as plunge into a bear market and produce their worst full-year returns in more than a decade.

But if investors were to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, they'd see why being a long-term optimist pays off handsomely.

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Source Fool.com