The “Consumer Savers and Investors Market Report 2022” report considers the market for consumer savings and investments, with a central focus on the types of savings and investment products consumers own, how much they are saving and investing and the environmental framework in which savings and investments are made. It looks at the size and structure of the market, recent trends and the future.
The report finds that at the end of September 2021, UK households collectively held over GBP4 trillion in non-pension financial assets, with their accumulated wealth having risen by around 5 per cent between December 2020 and September 2021.
In 2020, consumers invested net just under GBP200 billion into financial assets (excluding pension and non-life insurances). Net new investment rose significantly over 2019 as the COVID-19 lockdowns caused consumers to save more and invest more.
The publisher expects investment in 2021 to remain high by the standards of recent years but to fall back compared with 2020, as the UK economy opened up and consumer spending increased. In 2021 and 2020, consumers invested more money into financial assets compared with real assets (e.g., housing). This is in sharp contrast to previous years. The COVID-19 lockdowns and its impact on the housing market explains this.
While almost all consumers own at least one type of savings or current account product (including national savings products), only around one-third own any investment product (like shares or an investment fund). Most households in the UK have relatively modest amounts of net financial wealth, with wealth very unevenly distributed.
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