What Is the Charging Bull?

Over the last few centuries, the charging bull has become symbolic with the behaviors of optimism and stubbornness. This is most prevalent in the stock market, where being bullish is the term used to describe optimism for rising stock prices. For this reason, a bull statue was created and placed near Wall Street. This statue is one of the key symbols for the New York Stock exchange (NYSE).

Arturo Di Modica is the artist who created the charging bull sculpture for Wall Street in Manhattan. It is a huge bronze statue that stands at a daunting 11 feet tall (3.35 meters). Many visitors of New York City stop to view this artistic creation.

The charging bull is a symbol of power and courage. The bull is known to be an animal that will fight to the bitter end, regardless of the obstacles facing it. This is why terms like bullheaded are associated with this animal.

Bull fighting is a recreational sport that has been performed for many centuries. In this sport, a charging bull attempts to spear a bullfighter with his sharp perching horns. During the fight, the bull fights to the bitter end, which demonstrates the determined character.

The matador is the person who spars with a charging bull. This is a popular entertainment event in Spain and Mexico. The matador uses a red cape and spears to fight the angry bull. This event is often performed in outdoor venues that resemble ancient Roman arenas. It is an extremely dangerous sport and many bullfighters have died.

The Pamplona running of the bulls is an annual festival where people run the streets with a charging bull. This is a dangerous activity that often causes life-threatening injuries to the participants. During this event, hundreds of bulls are sent running wild through the streets of Pamplona, Spain with people running along side. The objective is to get as close to the bull as possible without being gored.

The symbols of bulls and bears have been used for many decades to represent hope and doubt. The bull is optimistic because he is able to overcome obstacles and persevere. The bear is the symbol of a slow downward turn in the economy, which reflects the animal's slow methodical nature.

Most stock markets use the symbols of bulls and bears to represent swings in the economy. The bull and bear statues of the NYSE are the most well known but there are several other countries that also have smaller versions of the symbols. Frankfurt Germany has a similar set of statues near the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.