Barron's recent "Big Money" poll reveals a marked shift in market sentiment, with the percentage of bearish investors reaching its highest level in nearly 30 years. More than 60% of respondents expect a bear market within the year, while only 7% remain bullish. The level of anxiety among professional investors currently surpasses that seen during major past crises, including the dot-com bubble burst, the 2008-09 financial crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this prevailing pessimism, some market analysts view the extreme bearish sentiment as a contrarian indicator, suggesting a potential market low has already been reached. Bernstein Macro highlighted that the poll's breakdown includes 26% bullish, 32% bearish, and 42% neutral respondents, noting that these bearish and bullish levels are even lower than those recorded during previous financial downturns such as the Lehman Brothers collapse.