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The Worst Bear Market in Modern History?

John - This is a good comparison that gives a feel for what might be in the market's future. One refinement to this analysis would be to add inflation or deflation to this process. I bought my first stock in the 1973-1974 market when the market was at 689. The market continued crashing until it reached 642 upon which the media said that this was worse than the 1929-1932 period when adjusted for the deflation then versus the 1970's high inflation. Adjusting for inflation/deflation would narrow the percentage gap in the table (89% versus 48%) considerably. As the deflationary spiral drags on the comparative pain of the 2008 crash could be put into a better perspective with an adjustment for deflation.