There are now more Australian female investors than ever before, according to the ASX Australian Investor Study 2023 released on Tuesday. The study also found that young Australians are continuing to play a key role in the investment landscape, with the next generation investor (aged 18-24) making up more than one fifth (22%) of those who began investing in the last two years.
General Manager, Investment Products and Strategy, Andrew Campion, said: “The ASX Australian Investor Study is ASX’s flagship research that provides an authoritative guide on the evolution of investment markets and investor behaviour.
“Our latest study has found that the number of investors that hold on-exchange investments has grown from 6.6 million to 7.7 million in 2023 – the highest proportion of on-exchange investors in over a decade. This equates to 38 per cent of Australian adults.
“While Australian shares are still the most popular of all on-exchange investments, exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to grow in popularity with 20 per cent of investors holding such investments, up from 15 per cent three years ago. This growth aligns with ASX’s latest statistics where total ETF funds under management has grown by an astonishing $80 billion from $63.5 billion in May 2020 to $143.5 billion as at the end of May 2023
“The report also compares holdings of different asset classes and found that there’s been a slight dip in residential property investment (down four per cent), but gains in shares and ETFs, suggesting Australians are looking at other ways to build wealth outside of property.”
While females made up half of the 1.2 million net new investors since 2020, women are still under-represented as a whole (42% vs 58%), with more women than men citing affordability as their primary barrier to investing.