Gauging sentiment is crucial, and there are hard and easy ways to do it

GLOBAL stocks’ returns of 9.5 per cent to Apr 29 alongside a 2.8 per cent rise in the Straits Times Index (STI) align with what I had envisioned in my February column – a strong 2024 for global stocks, with the STI’s banks driving late-year gains. Now, more gains await.

One way to know? Sentiment.

Gauging expectations is crucial as stocks move most on the gap between expectations and subsequent reality. There are hard and easy ways to gauge sentiment; both now reveal more bulls in the market ahead.