The term “bullish” means a trader is optimistic that the price will go higher from where it currently is. If you are bullish on a market, you believe that the market is going to rise.
A “bullish market” is when the price is in an uptrend, marked by higher highs and higher lows.
The term is based on a bull attacking upwards with its horns.
The origin of the term is unclear, but legend says it’s from a painting by William Holbrook Beard called “The Bulls and Bears in the Market,” which is believed to depict the U.S. stock market crash of 1873.
If you are “a bull” or “bullish“, it means that you have a positive sentiment and are optimistic about making money in a market.
For example, Joe is “bullish” on Bitcoin, which means he thinks BTC will go up in price.
Bullish vs. Bearish
Being “bearish” is the opposite of being bullish.
While being bullish means you are optimistic that prices will go higher from where they currently are, being bearish is the opposite: you think prices will trade lower from where they currently are.
Bullish traders will look to take long positions. Bearish traders are looking to take short positions where they will profit if the market goes down from its current price.
Full of Bull
If you’re “full of bull”, it does NOT mean that you’re extremely optimistic.
For example, if a trader says he or she has a trading system with a 100% win rate, this trader is “full of bull”.
In this context, “bull” takes on a whole different meaning which is NSFW.