A majority of investors believe the stock market is in a bubble - and many fear a recession, according to an E*Trade survey

• A new E*Trade Financial survey of 904 active investors revealed that 66% of them believe the stock market is either fully or somewhat in a bubble. An additional 26% said the stock market is "approaching a market bubble."
• The survey also revealed that recession fears linger. 32% of investors listed a recession as their top portfolio risk right now.
• This comes as US stock indices fly past records and major investors like Jeremy Grantham are voicing their bubble concerns.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Most investors believe the stock market is in bubble territory according to a new survey from E*Trade Financial.

Out of 904 active investors who manage at least $10,000 in an online brokerage account, 66% of them think the market is either fully or somewhat in a bubble, according to E*Trade. An additional 26% said the stock market is "approaching a market bubble," while only 8% said stock valuations are "not close to a market bubble."

The survey also revealed that recession fears linger. 32% of investors listed a recession as their top portfolio risk right now.

Bubble fears have come into sharper focus as stock valuations soar. Individual stocks like Tesla have ballooned, but the broader market is higher than average as well. The S&P 500 gained 16% in 2020, while the Nasdaq soared 43%.

British investor Jeremy Grantham said on Tuesday that the stock market is in a "fully-fledged epic bubble," driven by extreme overvaluations, explosive price increases, frenzied issuance, and "hysterically speculative investor behavior."

Read more: Bank of America says the warning signs that stocks are hurtling into bubble territory are growing - and pinpoints 6 that could signal a bear market is beginning

Mohamed El-Erian said on Thursday the market is in a "rational bubble," propped up by investors confident in the Fed's continued support.

Despite bubble concerns, bullish sentiment for investors has climbed. 57% of the surveyed investors said they're "bullish," which is up 5 percentage points from last quarter's survey.

"Investors see that unprecedented fiscal stimulus, the Fed's easy monetary policy, the vaccine rollout, and relatively healthy earnings are all positives for the market," said Mike Loewengart, Managing Director of Investment Strategy at E*Trade Financial. "Yet at the same time there is awareness that some, if not all, of these factors may already be priced in, and market corrections are a matter of when, not if."

The survey was conducted from Jan.1 to Jan. 7, 2021 among an online US sample of 904 self-directed active investors who manage at least $10,000 in an online brokerage account.

Read more: The CIO of a $500 million crypto asset manager breaks down 5 ways of valuing bitcoin and deciding whether to own it after the digital asset breached $40,000 for the first time