Sep 18, 2009 @ 02:45 pm
Herding is when many investors make the same choice based on observations of others, independent of their own knowledge. Markets do tend to have phases when one sentiment becomes dominant. These diversity breakdowns are consistent with booms (everyone acts bullish) and busts (everyone acts bearish).To the best of my knowledge, there is no one barometer that accurately and consistently measures investor diversity. An objective assessment of public (media) and private opinion probably gives some good clues.
That's what Michael Mauboussin, Legg Mason's Chief Investment Strategist, wrote in his sure-to-be-investing-classic book, More Than You Know.
And it's probably the best explanation of what's going on in the markets today.
Now though, with the markets showing continued and exceptional strength, we have to wonder whether it's time to take profits or let our winners ride. To do that, we'll have to look at some of those "good clues."
The "Smart" Money
There are all kinds of definitions for smart money. I consider the best tracking of smart money to be the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Investor Sentiment Survey.
The survey is made up of the individual market assessments of regular retail investors (like you and me) who are members of AAII. So it's most likely skewed to investors who watch the markets fairly closely. So if you asked most of the participants in the survey, they'd consider themselves smart money.
Since the survey started, its findings have averaged 39% of investors are bullish, 30% bearish and 31% neutral. A slightly bullish leaning would seem about right for a market which goes up 11% per year over the very, very long run. But the survey results actually reveal a lot about this smart money.
In the first week of March, the AAII survey found bearishness hit an all-time high. Only 19% of investors were bullish and 70% were bearish. The markets went way up.
In mid-August, the survey found 51% of investors were bullish and 33% were bearish. The market went up.
At the end of August, the survey reported 34% of investors were bullish and 48% were bearish. The markets went up.
Last Friday the survey found only 37% of investor were bullish and 44% were bearish. The markets have since gone up.
See a pattern?
I hope so. In every one of these surveys bearish sentiment is above the long run average. Also, the market has gone up shortly afterwards every time.
That's just a small sampling. They were all taken from a period when the markets only went up. But it gives you a pretty good idea that bullish sentiment is still far from a euphoric high.
The "Dumb" Money
That's the "smart" money crowd though. There's also the dumb money which, as you'll see in a second, is a force to be reckoned with.
I consider the dumb money to be those investors who turn their investment dollars over to mutual fund managers. Now they're not necessarily dumb people. But the idea of handing over the money to a group of managers who, as a group, failed to beat the markets and still have the gall to charge as much as 2% or 3% for their inadequate services is a pretty dumb move.
Lately, the dumb money has continued to plow money back into the markets.
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