Today the American Association of Individual Investors reported results of their Sentiment Survey for the week ending 12/13/2017. The report shows individual investor bullish sentiment jumped 8.1 percentage points to 45.0%.
Most of the jump in bullish sentiment was a result of a 6.1 percentage point decline in bearish sentiment. This has resulted in the bull/bear spread widening to 16.9%, the third widest spread in 2017.
As I have noted in prior sentiment updates, the survey results can be volatile and the 8 period moving average removes the weekly volatility. Additionally, the sentiment measures are contrarian ones and are most useful when they are at their extremes. The current report is not at an extreme level; however, it is elevated and worth paying attention to as the market continues to move higher and exhibit a low level of volatility.
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