Survey reveals where money is going

Doug Webber

Australian investors are still focused on domestic equities as a solid source of return, according to a new study released by Macquarie Private Wealth.

The study, conducted by Taverner Research, was designed to provide an insight into the changing investment behaviours and attitudes of high-net-worth individuals and suggest that 80 per cent of respondents hold domestic equities in their portfolios with 41 per cent considering them to be superior to other asset classes, including superannuation and property.

Commenting on the survey, Macquarie Private Wealth national practice manager Doug Webber said while the market had been performing strongly for some time, it was encouraging to see that retail investors shared the industry’s view that it had potential to remain favourable.

“The opportunities to generate growth through investing in Australian companies and funds have been plentiful over the past few years, with many investors working with the financial industry to make the most of this,” he said.

Webber pointed out that the study had revealed that 43 per cent of investors were currently holding international assets and that, after Australia, Asia represented their preferred investment market followed by the US and Europe.

He said the number of people investing in international equity markets and their choice of markets was surprising, indicating that some were already actively diversifying their portfolios by investing overseas.