Inflation and weak share prices are getting on the nerves of private investors. According to a survey, many want to invest in real assets in the new year.
After a weak year on the stock markets, investors in Germany are looking for investments that are as secure as possible for 2023. In a representative survey commissioned by the Association of German Banks, 81 percent stated that they “rather not” or “not at all” could imagine taking a higher risk for a higher return.
A majority of 52 percent would like to invest a larger amount of money in real estate in the new year. In fact, only 21 percent did so last year. Also popular at 43 percent is an investment in gold, which only 12 percent of those surveyed actually made in 2022. Fund shares (38 percent) and savings plans (37 percent), which were already the favorites in 2022, are still far ahead in investor favor.
Association representative Henriette Peucker described the fact that seven out of ten respondents aged 18 to 29 consider shares suitable for old-age security as an “important and positive signal”. According to the survey results, the proportion of investors among young adults has grown from 38 percent to 54 percent since 2019. This is just above the value of 53 percent for the entire population. Almost half of the people in Germany (44 percent) still do not invest any money at all, 3 percent do not provide any information.
Last year, 2022, the investors surveyed were very unhappy with their investments on average. Less than 30 percent were satisfied with the performance, marking the lowest level since the survey began in 2012. Peucker explained: “We have had a rather weak year on the stock market and are still stuck in historically high inflation.”
