From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Optimism wanes, and pessimism builds as the II bull-bear spread narrowed last week to just 1.2%, down more than 4% from the previous week. That brings the spread to its...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Speculative excesses have been unwinding for a year and that has taken its toll on investor sentiment. The overall mood is characterized by a lack of optimism rather than...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Sentiment has unwound to a point that it’s now seen as an opportunity rather than a risk. Pessimism runs high, investors are cranky, and we have had the most bears since...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway:  Investor sentiment looks washed out - at least for now. Investor sentiment was a headwind early in 2021 but more recently had been a neutral market influence from our...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: US stocks are on the ropes after taking a series of heavy hits in recent weeks. This comes against a backdrop of rising volatility and fear, fueling an increase in pessimism...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: A sentiment unwind can be constructive if it bends but doesn't break. That is, if volatility squeezes out some excessive optimism without ushering in pessimism. On the other...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Investor sentiment surveys are showing waning optimism as 2022 gets underway but there is still little evidence of fear. From a flow and positioning perspective, the 2021...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Year-end strength in stocks alleviated some of the concern that had crept into investors’ collective psyche. Short-term sentiment swings aside, investors remained...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: The sentiment backdrop is more characterized by a lack of optimism than widespread pessimism. This is in sharp contrast to the experiences of December 2020 and 2019. In those...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: We have seen some evidence of fear on a shorter-term basis, but still plenty of optimism (and risk) from a longer-term positioning perspective. If we had to sum up the...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Volatility is on the rise and the bulls are in retreat. The recent downside pressure on risk assets has driven investors to take caution. Yet, pessimism remains...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: The bulls came out expecting strength but were served a healthy dose of volatility. What on paper is a historically favorable season has turned out to be quite the...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: A healthy level of optimism ushers investors into the holiday season. But lofty expectations are neither reflected in price nor supported by breadth. Participation is...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Bullish sentiment is on the rise. The bears may be reluctant to leave the party, but the bulls squarely outnumber their counterparts. The AAII survey shows bulls...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: The bulls are back as more and more investors begin to reach for risk. Optimism is expanding across investor surveys and active equity managers have increased their exposure...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: There’s nothing more bullish than new all-time highs, and there was plenty to go around as we reviewed our monthly charts over the weekend. It’s no wonder that optimism is...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: There are plenty of adages to remind us that evidence of optimism re-emerging as stocks rally is neither surprising nor necessarily harmful to the health of the rally. When...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Sentiment remains neutral as bulls are on the rebound. Both II and AAII bulls ticked higher last week, and the 5-day put/call ratio dropped to levels indicating complacency....

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Optimism has been unwound, but pessimism remains scarce. We have yet to see a level of fear associated with a complete unwind in sentiment. Still, risks loom overhead with...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: The risks associated with excessive optimism are no longer present as bulls are in full retreat. Recent spikes in volatility and downside pressure on price have ushered in an...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Bulls continue to retreat while bears remain relatively unchanged. The current imbalance in sentiment speaks to cooling optimism and an increasing...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Optimism has begun to cool as sentiment relieves the excesses of early summer. Yet, we are a far cry from a complete unwind that cyclical damage suggests is necessary. As...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Sentiment is teetering on the edge of a complete unwind. Six months of choppy markets has taken its toll on optimism and now pessimism is starting to move higher. This week’s...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

Key Takeaway: Risks remain elevated from a sentiment perspective. The bulls continue to hold court as bears are relatively absent despite their rise in recent weeks. Though there are signs...