The trend in bullish investor sentiment, as reported by the American Association of Individual Investors, continues lower as noted in the chart below. The bullish sentiment level declined to 35.61% versus last week's level of 40.00%. The 8-period moving average of the bullishness level remains just above 30%. The bull/bear spread came in at -7% this week versus -1% last week.

 

(Click on chart for larger image.)


investor bullish sentiment chart August 7, 2008Data Source: American Association of Individual Investors

David I. Templeton

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This article has 8 comments:

  •  
    Aug 08 02:37 PM
    Any thought/opinion regarding the information you presented?? Otherwise just a chart-check post...
  •  
    Aug 09 12:03 PM
    Interesting data but is this a good thing or a bad thing?
    My knowledge base isn't sufficient to form an opinion.
    Will the recent drop in oil bolster bullishness?
    Or is all this data just BS?
  •  
    Aug 09 01:33 PM
    This data tells us when to buy. After the last bear has sold and the last bull has become a bear its time to buy, buy buy.

    I thought every one knew this. The above comments tell me other wise.
  •  
    Aug 09 01:39 PM
    From what you've presented, I see that the MA has just formed a higher low, which hardly supports your assertion, and the current value is above the MA. Looks more like a reversal than a continuation, at least for now. I'd save your thoughts until we see where the next MA reversal comes - if we break above the previous downward reversal point then the trend is, by definition, up.
  •  
    Aug 09 04:34 PM
    What happens if the bears are right and after the last bear sells nobody wants to buy .
  •  
    Aug 09 06:02 PM
    Someone please explain how this chart tells us when to buy or sell. I cannot see a correlation between the bullish sentiment trend and a low or high in the S&P500, at least for a medium or long term trend.
  •  
    Aug 09 06:42 PM
    The best web-site that helps explain things to me is tycoonreport.com

  •  
    Aug 10 12:09 AM
    marc faber recently wrote that over-bought conditions at the beginning of bull markets, and over-sold conditions at the beginning of bear markets, were common, and persisted -

    that extreme bearishness, is more meaningful within the context of the stage of the trend

    i thought that was pretty interesting

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