Stunning to watch the precipitous decline in the closely tracked American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Investor Sentiment Survey. The February 26 print of 19.4% marks a significant downward move from the prior week (29.2%), suggesting a give-up in investor confidence is underway.

On the heels of a stronger than expected US June quarter results season, companies listed on the ASX posted results ahead of, or at least in line with, market expectations.