Currently, the U.S. stock market is in the midst of one of the longest bull markets in its history. Since bottoming out in March 2009, the broad-based S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC), led by a strong rally in technology stocks and other growth industries, has surged by more than 325%! Mind you, the stock market has historically returned 7% a year, inclusive of dividend reinvestment and adjusted for inflation. So, to say that things are going well right now would be an understatement.
But the fact of the matter is that this bull market won’t last forever. Stock market corrections are a healthy and normal part of the investing process. Data from market analytics firm Yardeni Research shows that there have been 36 corrections in the S&P 500 of at least 10% since 1950. That equates to about one every two years.
Just as interesting is the fact that 22 of these 36 corrections took place in 104 or fewer days. Or, in other words, when the stock market heads lower, it tends to do so with a swiftness that we usually don’t see when it’s moving to the upside.
Eventually, we'll see another stock market crash. The only question left to be answered is what will cause it.
Here are 10 events that may wind up being the next crash culprit.
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