ETF provider Global X’s third survey of affluent investors reveals that they are focusing on the opportunities presented by a wide array of technological themes.
Some 27 per cent of respondents believe that renewable energies presents the biggest investment opportunity when compared to other disruptive technologies. Robotics and artificial intelligence came second in the minds of investors at 23 per cent, followed by e-commerce (12 per cent), and the Internet of Things (11 per cent).
When it comes to perception of performance, attitudes shifted slightly, Global X found. Some 49 per cent of investors believe that renewable energy technologies will outperform the market in the coming decade, but smart home devices came first, with 55 per cent of investors confident in their performance potential.
Global X writes that despite investors’ optimism around renewable energy and smart home devices, the most commonly invested-in themes currently are mobile banking and social media.
Mobile banking ranked first as the disruptive technology that investors had the most exposure to, with 39 per cent reporting some investment in the space. Some 48 per cent of investors believe that firms involved in mobile banking would outperform the market.
“Investors are increasingly distinguishing between having broad technology exposure and gaining access to more specific emerging technological trends,” says Jay Jacobs, Senior Vice President, Head of Research & Strategy at Global X. “As new technologies continue to reshape entire segments of the global economy, it’s becoming more and more important to differentiate between these exposures in investors’ portfolios.”
