In 2021, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI), broad-based S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), and innovation-driven Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC), set multiple all-time closing highs and benefited immensely from an abundance of cheap capital tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The end result was the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all dipping into a bear market and producing their worst annual returns since 2008. The velocity of downside moves that accompanies bear markets has a lot of investors rightly wondering when the volatility will slow and a new bull market will emerge.