Small investors' attitudes have clearly changed since last year, when the survey was carried out for the first time. Last year, saving for retirement was the third most common reason to invest. This year, it ranked first.
- The most likely cause for this shift is the active public dialogue on the pension reform and its effects on future pensions. Confidence in statutory pensions sufficing to guarantee a reasonable standard of living is waning, says Jari Ohrankämmen, Head of Sales at Nordea Wealth Management.
Unplanned investment in Finland
More than half of respondents said they planned on increasing their investments in the Finnish market. Further investment in North America, Asia and Africa was also planned.
- Finnish investment behaviour can typically be characterised as patriotic and lacking a plan. The survey showed that the investors most likely to increase their investments in Finland are those without an investment plan, says Ohrankämmen.
Half of investors plan on re-investing the dividends they will collect this spring. A fifth plan on re-investing them in the same company's shares. Jari Ohrankämmen recommends investing dividends in new securities if the investor's portfolio is not already well-diversified.
Finnish investors unflinched by crisis in Ukraine
Almost all respondents to the survey considered the investment environment attractive for equity investors. An increasing number, more than 60 per cent of investors, believe share prices will continue to rise for the next six months on the Helsinki stock exchange.
- The crisis in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions have not swayed Finns' investment decisions. Half of investors have kept their investments unchanged, with only one in five reducing their investments in securities exposed to the crisis, says Ohrankämmen.
The investor barometer surveys small investors' investment trends, asking participants about investments that attract them and their approach to risk-taking. One-third of respondents own an investment portfolio worth less than 50,000 euros and have a household income of less than 50,000 euros a year.
Nearly 1,200 active small investors from among Nordea's customers were interviewed for the barometer, which was conducted as a web survey in Nordea's Netbank in February 2015. The survey's results were analysed by CBI Cannon Business Insight Oy.
For further information:
Jari Ohrankämmen, Head of Sales at Nordea Wealth Management, tel. +358 50 5688945
Susanna Aarnio-Halme, Group Communications, tel. +358 9 165 42320