Over half of financial advisors see a healthier stock market a year from now, while just over a third see darker clouds ahead.

That will come with some volatility over that time frame, as only four in 10 advisers see a “somewhat better” market over the next six months, while 33% expect a net decline. A quarter predict no real change, despite a presidential election that promises continued chaos and heated rhetoric on the economy and national politics. When it comes to the stock market, most advisors don't see the daily political mudslinging as a long-term influence at all.

of Wealthmanagement.com The Advisor Sentiment Index, a monthly survey of registered investment advisors on their views on markets and the economy, saw advisors' confidence in the health of the stock market register a score of 115 (a score of 100 reflects a completely neutral view. ) For the stock market, that's down five points from May's reading, and well below the highest sentiment advisors recorded in the first quarter of the year, when the index hit 122 for three straight months.

At the same time, their confidence in the health of the US economy, after falling earlier this year, saw a slight rebound. However, a darker picture pervades adviser sentiment in the short term, with just 27% expecting an improvement over the next six months, while slightly more (31%) expect market health to decline over that time frame. Most expect little change.

But financial advisors tend to be optimistic. From a one-year perspective, the outlook becomes brighter. Over half of advisors expect the economy to be healthy, with only 28% seeing a net decline in the economy.

Methodology, data collection and analysis by WealthManagement.com and Informa Engage. The methodology conforms to accepted marketing research methods, practices and procedures. Beginning in January 2024, WealthManagement.com began promoting a short monthly survey to active users. Data will be collected within the last ten days of each following month, with a target of at least 100 financial advisor respondents per month. Respondents are asked their opinion of the economy and the stock market as of now, six months from now and one year from now. The responses are weighted and used to create an index tied to a neutral value of 100. Over time, the ASI will provide a sense of the direction of retail financial advisors.