What are Bull and Bear Flag patterns?

Bull and bear flag formations are price patterns which occur frequently across varying time frames in financial markets. These patterns are considered continuation patterns in technical analysis terms, as they have a habit of occurring before the trend which preceded their formation is continued.

How do I identify Bull flag pullbacks based on a chart pattern?

As with all chart patterns, it is usually best to trade chart pattern-based strategies in a complete trading system with additional rules and concepts. For a simple start, adding a moving average (the 50 SMA in our example) can help to identify bull flag pullbacks objectively.

Are small movements a bull or a bear market?

Small movements only represent a short-term trend or a market correction. Whether or not there is going to be a bull market or a bear market can only be determined over a longer time period. However, not all long movements in the market can be characterized as bull or bear.