When examined over long periods, no asset class has more consistently delivered for investors than the stock market. When compared to gold, oil, housing, and even Treasury bonds, the average annual return of stocks over the very long term handily outpaces these other asset classes.

However, things become less certain when the lens is narrowed. Over the previous four years, the ageless Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), benchmark S 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and growth-powered Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) have traded off bear and bull markets in successive years.

Truth be told, there is no foolproof method for accurately predicting short-term directional moves or crashes in Wall Street's three major stock indexes -- but that doesn't stop investors from trying to gain an advantage.

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Source Fool.com