Americans Haven't Been This Optimistic About Stocks for Nearly Two Decades Americans haven’t been this upbeat about the U.S. stock market since 2000, according to the Conference Board’s latest consumer confidence report released Tuesday. More than 47 percent of respondents said they expect equities to move higher in the next 12 months, the largest share since January 2000. Optimism about stocks peaked then, preceding the market’s peak in March of 2000. A bear market ensued a year later.