The terms Bearish and Bullish are often the terms used to describe general actions and positions, either of an individual asset or of the market as a whole. Bear and bull markets have been named after how each animal attacks its prey. A bull typically attacks with its horns swiping upwards and a bear attacks with its claws swiping downwards. To give you a better understanding of what bearish and bullish means, I’ll start by saying that a bear market refers to a decline in prices, usually for a few months, in an asset or single security, group of security, or market as a whole. In whole, a bull represents when the market prices are rising.
Asides from the FOMC interest rate and rate statements, Non-Farm payroll is one of the most sought-after trading announcements. This announcement details the amount of people employed in all the non farming job sectors. The breakdown goes down to the detail about people employed in retail vs mechanics, vs medical, etc. While most traders do not care so much about the breakdown by industry, the amount of people employed is a major mover in the FOREX market. This is one of the reasons you will see the Non-Farm announcement traded at the Apiary Fund.