Influential Investor Sentiment Survey: Outlook on 2024
Curious about individual investors’ outlook on 2024? State Steet Global Advisors surveyed more than 1,500 investors in September 2023 to better understand their goals and concerns, as well as their 12-month outlook on the economy and their own personal finances. What they said might surprise you.
Investor Optimism About Economy in Decline
Despite a roaring stock market rally in 2023, optimism about the economy has been in decline since June 2021.
Investors More Pessimistic About Personal Financial Outlook
Investors are even less optimistic about their personal financial outlook. Optimism was high coming out of the pandemic, with only 6% of respondents saying they felt pessimistic in June 2021.
But since then, that percentage has nearly tripled, hovering around 19%. Looking at the survey data through another lens shows investor optimism is even lower now than during the height of the pandemic in April 2020.
Top 5 Financial Concerns of Investors
Defying pessimistic forecasts, markets and the economy showed remarkable resilience in 2023. So, why is individual investor optimism in decline? Their top concerns and goals may hold the answer.
Inflation is by far the number one concern of investors (66%) followed by rising healthcare costs (48%), recession (46%), saving enough for a secure retirement (44%) and market volatility (35%).
Top 5 Financial Goals of Investors
Investors’ pessimism about their personal financial futures may be linked to the potential impact of concerns like inflation on their ability to achieve their financial goals. Goals like:
- Having enough savings to last through retirement years (78%)
- Having funds to travel (57%)
- Maintaining their current lifestyle in retirement (56%)
- Being able to pay for healthcare needs (53%)
- Being able to choose when to retire (37%)
How Can Investors Turn Skepticism into Strategy?
Inflation may be cooling, but that could pose new challenges for wary individual investors. What opportunities are available to help preserve and even grow wealth now?
About the Survey
State Street Global Advisors, in partnership with Prodege and A2B, conducted an online survey among a random sample of 1,503 individual investors in the US. Participants surveyed in September 2023 were between the ages of 27 and 77 and fell into the following demographics:
Demographic Breakdown:
Participants surveyed were those who shared or were solely responsible for investment decisions. All data was collected from September 6–27, 2023. The online survey took an individual investor 10 minutes to complete, on average.