Top financial officials from the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations on Friday issued an upbeat evaluation of the global financial crisis, describing signs that markets were stabilizing around the world and warning that it was necessary to devise “exit strategies” to disengage from stimulus programs that have been put in place.

If history is our guide, then the rally we’ve seen in U.S. stocks in recent weeks is more than just a periodic run-up in share prices – it’s the initial stage of a prolonged bull market.