ARTICLE SYNOPSIS ...How Accurate Is Sentiment? by William Lansburg Of all the tools that technicians use in trying to predict the future of the stock market, one of the most common is the sentiment index. Basically, the theory behind the sentiment index holds that it is best to be a contrarian. The theory states that whenever a high percentage of investment advisors are bullish, the market should decline, and when a high percentage of investment advisors are bearish, the market should move up. Some say ""the high percentage"" should be 60%, while others argue it should be lower, at 55%. Let's examine the sentim...