Winterflood Securities has announced that it is launching its Retail Investor Report based on data derived from Winterflood’s proprietary retail analytics about retail investment activity in 2025.
The data derives from Winterflood Retail Intelligence, a product developed by an in-house team of data scientists and strategists that provides detailed analytics on over 97 per cent of trade flow from the UK retail market.
The firm writes that ahead of the implementation of key regulatory changes on January 19th, broadening retail access to debt and equity capital markets, and alongside the recent UK Treasury consultation on retail access to T-bills, Winterflood’s proprietary data provides significant insight into the expertise, proactivity and responsiveness of individual investors.
Key findings include:
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc was the most traded stock by retail investors, with GBP4.5 billion of total retail consideration, reflecting nimble trading behaviour by retail investors around reporting periods, the firm writes.
The top three equities by net inflows were Taylor Wimpey Plc (GBP322 million), Legal & General Plc (GBP172 million) and Diageo Plc (GBP107 million), while the stocks with the most net outflows were Lloyds Banking Group Plc (-GBP1.377bn), Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (-GBP739 million) and Barclays Plc (-GBP540 million). Continued strong gold price growth benefited iShares Physical Gold (traded value GBP2.8 billion) and other, similar ETFs.
All thematic sectors saw less demand in 2025. Energy and Basic Materials fared best (-GBP67 million and -GBP90 million, respectively), with Financials and Industrials seeing negative net demand of -GBP2.957 billion and -GBP838 million, respectively.
The constituent members of the FTSE 100 index also struggled with demand (-GBP6.308 billion), whereas companies on the FTSE 250 and the AIM saw positive demand of GBP141million and GBP500 million, respectively.
Retail investors bought equities at the dip in turbulent April 2025 markets and realised gains ahead of an unsettled pre-Budget period.
In short, retail investors behaved as rational economic actors in an unsettled environment, reinforcing the case for broader access to a range of investment products, in line with Government and FCA policy, the firm writes.
Joe Winkley, Head of Corporate Services at Winterflood, says: “New FCA rules which broaden access for retail investors to primary equity markets and once again enable them to buy into corporate debt come into force on the 19th of January. Our proprietary analysis of retail investor behaviour, using datasets that capture almost all of the retail trades in the UK, prove that retail investors were proactive, took advantage of market trends and one-off events, and sought returns across multiple asset classes and markets.
“In short, they deserve to be treated as a valuable market participant, with mature investment behaviour that belies the idea that retail investors are simply followers of trends. They are increasingly a valuable source of liquidity for corporates in primary and secondary markets.”
Author of the report, William Broad, Associate Director – Winterflood Corporate Services, says: “Our data shows what many know intuitively already: retail investors have an astute sense of trends and events, and how to navigate them. Engaging with this segment of the market requires recognising retail investors for their expertise and considered approach to investing.
“We are supportive of the Government’s and the FCA’s recent initiatives to broaden retail access to capital markets, including the recent consultation on T-bills, and look forward to further developments in the retail investment space.”
