I've watched the markets change from Bull to Bear and back again over the past 15 years. I've lived the IPO highs and negative equity lows, and I think I've figured something out. Bear Markets are horribly hard on the global economy simply because nobody in their right mind wants to buy bears. Now I don't have an MBA, or even any real financial qualifications as such, but it seems clear to me that Bull Markets are simply more economically viable all round. Bulls are precisely the kind of thing any right-thinking person would want to own.
Bulls are useful, friendly, and easy to care for.
Bears, on the other hand, are big scary bastards with loads of teeth. Bulls give us things like steak, leather, fertilizer, glue, hat racks and brush bristles. Bulls keep hundreds of toreadors in gainful employment and support the thriving international red rag market. Bears shit in the woods. People will gleefully buy and sell bulls for considerable sums at livestock auctions.