Individual investors are notably less bearish now, according to the AAII Sentiment Survey.

US Investor Sentiment, % Bearish is an indicator that is a part of the AAII Sentiment Survey. It indicates the percentage of investors surveyed that had a bearish outlook on the market. An investor that is bearish, will primarily believe the US stock market will trend lower in the next six months.

Bearish US Investor Sentiment dropped 25%, so only 26.4% of the investors surveyed expect the stock market to fall in the next 6 months. Bearish sentiment is now below its average over the past year, but far from an extreme reading. I marked the high, low, and average on the chart.

The most extreme level of bearish sentiment historically going back to 1989 is all the way down to only 6% Bearish, which we haven’t seen since 2003.

If you notice, the Bearish level has held a higher low the past decade. That is, recent stock market peaks haven’t resulted in those extreme lows since the investor survey started 22 years ago. So, behavior and sentiment surveys aren’t an exact science, nor are they intended to be. Below we see a Bearish level of 20% has been the common low in Bearish sentiment.

I could put the data into a table format and show a mode analysis, which is a study that shows when Bearish sentiment spikes or falls, what happens to the stock market. Since I apply the scientific approach to trends and cycles, I have certainly tested the indicators I observe scientific for quantitative analysis. I require a mathematical basis behind believing what I believe. If it doesn’t test out mathematically using the scientific approach, it would be of little use. To know what is of use, or not, requires quantitative testing. I don’t share my quant work, but instead, prefer to show observations of the trends in the data. When presenting my research, I do so visually.

In the chart below I overlay the % Bearish sentiment in orange over the S&P 500 % off high (the drawdown) in purple. We can visually see how they interact with each other. As the stock market falls, Bearish investor sentiment % spikes up. I highlighted these times.

Investors become more afraid of falling prices after they fall. Investors also extrapolate the recent past into the future, so they expect falling prices to beget further falling prices. We can hypothesize this because investors are more Bearish at lower prices, less so at higher prices.

Okay, so far I’ve only shown the Bearish sentiment.

What about Bullish investor sentiment? 

US Investor Sentiment, % Bullish is a gauge of the AAII Sentiment Survey. It registers the percentage of investors surveyed that had a bullish outlook on the market the past week. An investor that is bullish, will primarily believe the market will trend higher in the next six months.

US Investor Sentiment, % Bullish increased 41.33% the week of February 13, 2020. The % Bullish investor sentiment was the most notable change over the last week. Individual investors are notably more Bullish. However, although the Bullish sentiment is well above the average of the past year, individual investor enthusiasm isn’t yet at the highest level reached over the past year, which I marked in the chart.

Meanwhile, the Fear & Greed Index, driven by 7 market sentiment indicators, is Neutral.

So, while individual investors are becoming more bullish about the stock market trend for the next 6 months, they haven’t quite yet reached an extreme level that often signals buying enthusiasm is becoming exhausted. But, the rate of change in Bullish investor sentiment is worth making note of for situational awareness as investors usually believe and do the wrong things and the wrong time at extremes.

So far, the US stock market has been resilient, especially considering the headlines have been dominated by the virus updates and images of people around the globe bearing masks.

“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?”

– John Maynard Keynes

I’ve kept more of my market risk hedged-off than I’d like (in hindsight) if market prices don’t fall to a lower-risk point, but we’ll see how it unfolds from here.

My edge is discipline and my tactical decisions are completely intentional and come from a fully committed state, so I don’t fear losing money or missing out. I tend to feel the right feeling at the right time, as my feelings are data-driven, quantitative, applying the scientific method, supported by maths for a mathematical basis for feeling and believing. Oh, and a heavy dose of stoicism.

I also change as the facts do, and the only facts that ultimately matter are price trends.

Have a Happy Valentines Day and weekend, friends!

Mike Shell is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Shell Capital Management, LLC, and the portfolio manager of ASYMMETRY® Global Tactical. Mike Shell and Shell Capital Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor in Florida, Tennessee, and Texas focused on asymmetric risk-reward and absolute return strategies and provides investment advice and portfolio management only to clients with a signed and executed investment management agreement. The observations shared on this website are for general information only and should not be construed as advice to buy or sell any security. Securities reflected are not intended to represent any client holdings or any recommendations made by the firm. Any opinions expressed may change as subsequent conditions change.  Do not make any investment decisions based on such information as it is subject to change. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal an investor must be willing to bear. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. All information and data are deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. The presence of this website on the Internet shall in no direct or indirect way raise an implication that Shell Capital Management, LLC is offering to sell or soliciting to sell advisory services to residents of any state in which the firm is not registered as an investment advisor. The views and opinions expressed in ASYMMETRY® Observations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect a position of  Shell Capital Management, LLC. The use of this website is subject to its terms and conditions.