According to a recent Fidelity Investments poll of 1,600 active investors, many are bullish on the direction of the market and plan to increase investments in stocks, ETFs and actively managed mutual funds.
They also report that even if a market correction were to occur, 61 per cent would find opportunities for bargains and invest more, 33 per cent would ride it out and only six per cent would take money out of the market.
The polling took place during Fidelity’s Traders’ Summit in New York City, where keynote speakers spoke about innovative stock opportunities, with a focus on investing in healthcare, technology, energy and agriculture companies. The polling suggests that investors share this interest — when asked what sector they were most bullish about over the next year, their top three choices were:
• Healthcare: 42 per cent
• Technology: 30 per cent
• Energy: 19 per cent
“Many of our most engaged customers are optimistic about the market,” says Ram Subramaniam, president of Fidelity’s retail brokerage business. “Three quarters told us their next investing dollar would go into equities and just one in ten said it would go into cash, so clearly they are planning to put their money to work.”
When asked which investment vehicle they plan to use most in the next 12 months, investors says:
• Stocks: 29 per cent
• ETFs: 15 per cent
• Actively managed mutual funds: 12 per cent
• Passively managed mutual funds: 6 per cent
• A combination of all: 37 per cent
Of the 68 per cent who currently invest in ETFs, half (48 per cent ) expect to increase their use of ETFs in the next 12 months, 44 per cent to maintain their current use of ETFs and 8 per cent expect to use ETFs less.
A recurring theme at the Traders’ Summit was how to generate more investing income, and investors indicated the investment category they would use first for additional income was:
• Stocks: 53 per cent
• Fixed Income: 13 per cent
• Options: 13 per cent
• ETFs: 10 per cent
Interestingly, more than one out of 10 (12 per cent) said they didn’t know where to begin.
