Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Zenger
Zenger
Business
Piero Cingari

Retail Traders Show Caution As Major Equity Indices Surge In November

Major equity indices have enjoyed substantial gains in November so far. BENZINGA

Major equity indices have enjoyed substantial gains in November so far.

In the first week of the month, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) recorded a 4% increase. The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) outperformed with a 5% rally.

Major equity indices have enjoyed substantial gains in November so far. BENZINGA

The catalyst for this bullish movement was a dovish Federal Reserve meeting. It was also weaker-than-expected job growth figures from the previous month. As a result, speculators began raising bets on potential rate cuts by the Fed in 2024.

According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, retail traders are now pricing in a full percentage point of rate cuts through December 2024.

Beneath the surface of these gains lies a growing divide in market sentiment. Retail traders are showing signs of caution despite the overall bullish trend.

Retail traders traditionally tend to be more sensitive to short-term market trends. Improving risk sentiment and rising expectations of a shift in the Federal Reserve’s stance next year have failed to excite them.

Retail Traders Bet Against Market Rally

Almost one-third of the options on the S&P 500 index purchased in the past week were bearish bets, indicating a lack of confidence in the current rally.

Delving more into technical details, data from the Options Clearing Corp. reveals that the ratio of put option buying to total option buying by retail traders reached 31% last week.

This ratio is one of the highest recorded over the past 24 years.

According to Jason Goepfert, founder of Sentimentrader, retail traders have been spending 80 cents on put premium for every $1 spent on call options.

This level of bearish sentiment is significantly above what was observed in July. It signals a notable shift in sentiment among retail investors.

“Small traders have used the rally as an opportunity to bet even more against stocks,” Goepfert noted.

You’ll see tweets about a spike in call volume last week.

But they don’t tell you *who* did *what*.

Well, the best fade of all – small options traders – INCREASED their put buying last week, 31% of total volume. It’s among the highest ratios in 24 years.

They spent $0.80 on… pic.twitter.com/zMKkVKjkxG

— Jason Goepfert (@jasongoepfert) November 6, 2023

The skepticism exhibited by retail traders presents a notable contrast to the prevailing market sentiment, which includes institutional and professional investors as well.

The CBOE’s equity put/call ratio, a key barometer indicating market mood, currently stands below the crucial 1 mark at 0.79, indicating that there are currently more opened call options on equities compared to put options, thus reflecting a broader market bullishness by investors.

Chart: CBOE Put/Call Ratio Indicates An Overall Positive Sentiment On Stocks

Major equity indices have enjoyed substantial gains in November so far. BENZINGA

Produced in association with Benzinga

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.