The herd is feeling bearish............
US Investor Optimism Lowest Since May '03
April 25, 2005 3:00:00 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A sell-off in the U.S. stock market and the fear of inflation pushed investor optimism to the lowest level in nearly two years, according to a survey from brokerage firm UBS and the Gallup Organization.
Investor optimism fell to 52, its lowest reading since May 2003, when it hit 42. Last month, investor optimism was 74, according to the survey of 802 investors conducted between April 1 and April 17.
During the period that the poll was conducted, the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.5 percent.
Still, investors remain more optimistic than pessimistic about the performance of the stock market, with 41 percent optimistic and 33 percent pessimistic, the poll found.
That compares with last month, when 47 percent were optimistic about the stock market and just 27 percent pessimistic.
The percentage of investors who say that now is a good time to invest in the markets continues its slow decline. Fifty-seven percent express that view, down from 60 percent last month and 64 percent in December, the survey found.
© 2005 Reuters