A rally is a period of sustained increases in the prices of stocks, bonds or indices.
However, a rally will generally follow a period of flat or declining prices.
A bear market rally is sometimes defined as an increase of 10% to 20%.
Bear market rallies typically begin suddenly and are often short-lived.
The Japanese Nikkei 225 has been typified by a number of bear market rallies since the late 1980s while experiencing an overall long-term downward trend.