Why does the market go down so quick and up so slowly?

Question

Often time it seems the Dow or S&P 500 will lose an entire percentage point in less than an hour and continue downward all day but when it actually goes up it takes ALLLLLLLLL day to go up just a bit.

Has there been research into this or am I just crazy?

Answer 1

Study it again when the market is doing better you may different results.  

Answer 2

It is the base of our human nature.....fear hits greater than greed.

In many cases the onset of fear comes in like a hurricane - in a rush.  You panic, and flee ( in the case of the market, you sell out quickly ).

Greed, on the other hand, tends to creep up and accumulate.  You buy a stock, it goes up, you want more, so you buy more, and so on.

Answer 3

The Inspector is correct. Consider this, as well. If you lose 50% you now have to earn 100% to get it back.