Wall Street Bull and Bear Bookends.

$500.00

Item Number: 148271

Pair of Wall Street bull and bear antique bronze bookends mounted on marble bases. The bull measures 5 inches by 7 inches and the bear measures 4.75 inches by 6 inches. In fine condition.

The bull and bear have become enduring symbols of Wall Street, representing opposing market trends that shape investor sentiment and financial discourse. The "bull market" symbolizes rising stock prices and investor confidence, while the "bear market" signifies falling prices and economic pessimism. These metaphors, rooted in the animals' respective attack styles—bulls thrusting upward and bears swiping downward—gained popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries alongside the rise of organized stock exchanges. Over time, particularly through media and popular culture, these symbols have been visually and rhetorically enshrined in the identity of Wall Street, epitomized by Arturo Di Modica’s 1989 Charging Bull sculpture near the New York Stock Exchange. Their continued use reflects not only market dynamics but also the emotional undercurrents that drive financial behavior in capitalist economies.