AAII Sentiment Survey The S&P 500 is setting records, but U.S. retail investors remain far from bullish. The AAII bull-bear spread has barely moved into positive territory, leaving sentiment, and potentially stocks, room to climb. Image: The Daily Chartbook
AAII Asset Allocation Despite persistently bearish sentiment, U.S. retail investors grew more optimistic in September, raising their stock allocation to its highest level since December 2017. The move was a vote of confidence in equities. Image: Daily Chartbook
AAII Bulls Minus Bears and S&P 500 Returns The S&P 500 trades near record highs, up more than 10% year to date, but US retail sentiment refuses to follow. The AAII bull-bear spread remains stuck in negative territory. That kind of skepticism can keep the rally alive. Image: Carson Investment Research
S&P 500 Forward Returns After Extreme AAII Bearish Sentiment Peaks Since 1990, when the AAII bearish sentiment exceeded 45%, as it did recently, the S&P 500 has delivered strong 12‑month gains, averaging more than 18%. Once again, the market looks ready to climb just when investors least expect it. Image: Real Investment Advice
AAII Investor Sentiment Bull Minus Bear Spread The AAII bull-bear spread points to a balanced mood among U.S. retail investors who expect stock prices to decline in the near term—a condition that could set the stage for a sharper move in either direction. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation
S&P 500 Ratio to Its 200-DMA and AAII Investor Sentiment Bull Minus Bear Spread Historically, very low investor sentiment has not only signaled caution but also suggested further upside in U.S. equities, offering opportunities for contrarian investors. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation
Combined AAII & II Sentiment So far, the combined readings from the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) and Investors Intelligence (II) indicate a bullish outlook, reflecting optimism and confidence among market participants. Image: Topdown Charts
AAII U.S. Investor Sentiment Bearish Readings While AAII U.S. investor pessimism has eased to a 20-week low, bearish sentiment remains modestly elevated relative to historical averages, indicating that caution lingers even as market conditions improve. Image: The Daily Shot
S&P 500 Performance After at Least 15 Weeks of AAII Bears over Bulls Ends A streak of 15 consecutive weeks with more bears than bulls in the AAII survey is rare—only four other periods have lasted this long. In each case, the S&P 500 was higher 12 months later, with an average gain of 27.5%.…
AAII U.S. Investor Sentiment Bearish Readings > 50 The current AAII U.S. Investor Sentiment Bearish reading of 58.9% marks the 7th consecutive week above 50%, aligning with the record streak observed in October 1990, which coincided with a major market low. Image: The Daily Shot
S&P 500 Performance After AAII Bears Above 50% Five Straight Weeks Historically, when bearish sentiment in the AAII poll surpasses 50% for five straight weeks, U.S. stocks have shown an average return of 21% over the next 12 months, with positive returns occurring 100% of the time since 1990. Image: Carson Investment Research