The Italian investment market presents a
promising opportunity for online trading services, particularly among
active traders. Celent estimates growth for Italian online trading
accounts at over 4% per year.
The Italian retail investment market has an appetite
for a variety of instruments and is willing to take risks if the right
conditions exist. This trading trend has led to a specific group of
investors, defined as active traders, who account for 24% of self-directed
investors. Active traders make up a high percentage (8-9%) of the retail
investor population, making the Italian market an attractive opportunity
for firms.
In The Italian Retail Investment Market,
Celent examines the current Italian investment market, taking a closer
look at client demographics, products, and firms, with a focus on the
active trader market.
The study has identified the following major
findings:
- Active traders are growing rapidly: The overall
European market of active traders tends to be below 5% of retail
investors, while in Italy Celent estimates that approximately 9% of
total investors are active traders.
- Male preponderance among active traders: Retail
traders and active traders in particular are primarily men between 35
and 45 years old.
- Fragmented provider market: The market is
fragmented with numerous brokerage houses and banks offering trading
capabilities to retail investors.
- Equities gather the lion's share of products: The
most favored securities by individual investors remain equities,
followed by derivatives and ETFs.
- Active traders favor sophisticated instruments
and foreign markets: Interest in sophisticated instruments among
active traders is consistent as well as trading in foreign markets
such as CME, NYSE, and NASDAQ.
"Because of the highly fragmented nature of the
Italian brokerage market, firms need to be creative in order to capture
and retain investors," says Isabella
Fonseca, Celent senior analyst and author of the report.
"The market is ready to take on more risk with
instruments such as derivatives, commodities, and ETFs, not only
domestically but also in foreign markets," she adds.
Data featured in the report investigates current
market conditions and can assist firms in developing a strategy to
penetrate the Italian online brokerage market.
The report is 31 pages long and contains 22 figures
and three figures. A table of
contents is available online.
