LIVE MARKETS-Individual investor neutral sentiment snaps back - AAII
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INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR NEUTRAL SENTIMENT SNAPS BACK - AAII
Neutral sentiment among individual investors about their short-term outlook for the U.S. stock market increased in the latest American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Sentiment Survey. With this, both optimism and pessimism retreated.
Meanwhile, the two biggest camps of investors surveyed (nearly 80% of respondents in total) were roughly split in terms of how they prefer companies to return cash to shareholders: either as dividends or both dividends and buybacks.
AAII reported that neutral sentiment, expectations that stock prices will stay essentially unchanged over the next six months, gained 5.2 percentage points to 28.5%. Neutral sentiment is below its historical average of 31.5% for the 83rd time in 85 weeks.
Bullish sentiment, or expectations that stock prices will rise over the next six months, declined 4.0 percentage points to 34.5%. Bullish sentiment is below its historical average of 37.5% for the first time in 12 weeks.
Bearish sentiment, or expectations that stock prices will fall over the next six months, dipped 1.2 percentage points to 36.9%. Bearish sentiment is above its historical average of 31.0% for the fifth time in 12 weeks.
The bull-bear spread fell 2.8 percentage points to –2.4% from 0.4% last week. The bull-bear spread is below its historical average of 6.5% for just the second time in 12 weeks.
In this week's special question, AAII asked its members how they prefer companies to return cash to shareholders.
Here is AAII's graphic showing how they responded:
(Terence Gabriel)
EARLIER ON LIVE MARKETS:
MAJOR ECONOMIC DATA HIT THIS MORNING, REMEMBER? GDP, PCE, ET AL CLICK HERE
US STOCKS GAIN AS COURT RULES AGAINST TRUMP'S TARIFFS CLICK HERE
US STOCK FUTURES WEAKEN SLIGHTLY IN WAKE OF PCE, GDP DATA CLICK HERE
MACRO CYCLE VS MARKET CYCLE CLICK HERE
IGNORE FUNDAMENTALS, FRENCH BONDS CAN KEEP RALLYING, SOCGEN SAYS, CLICK HERE
GEOPOLITICAL SELLOFFS USUALLY CREATE BUYING OPPORTUNITIES CLICK HERE
STOXX 600 IN THE LAP OF LUXURY CLICK HERE
EUROPE BEFORE THE BELL: FUTURES HIGHER, MARKETS SET FOR POSITIVE WEEK CLICK HERE
TRUMP THREATENS IRAN WITH FORCE CLICK HERE
Early market snapshot https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/gdvzardwdpw/Pasted%20image%201771601503484.png
GDP contributors https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/xmvjygrbapr/gdp.png
Inflation gauges https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/zjvqmqwnbvx/inflation.png
Personal consumption https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/lbpgyrbjmpq/perscons.png
Flash PMI https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/akpeygmenpr/pmi.png
New home sales https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/zgvolwkaapd/nhs.png
UMich inflation expectations https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-STOCKS/jnpwrgxjavw/umichinflation.png
AAII02202026 
AAIISQ02202026 
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