CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - May 26, 2010) - Spectrem Group (www.spectrem.com) announced today that its Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICISM) rose 4 points in May to -5.
This increase in the affluent index, which measures the investment outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, brings the index to its highest level since December 2007, when it stood at zero. Meanwhile, the Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICISM) was unchanged at -1. Both indexes were neutral for the month.
"Affluent investors grew more confident in the investment environment in May -- reaching their highest level in nearly two and a half years. At the same time, millionaires' confidence remained steady. Nonetheless, the nation's wealthiest investors focused much of their attention on Europe's financial difficulties in May, suggesting continued uncertainty about the global economy may remain with us for some time," said George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group.
In response to an open-ended question about the news story most affecting their economic outlook, affluent investors in May cited: the European financial crisis (25%); the political environment (13%); the oil spill (9%); stock market conditions (9%); the economy (6%); health care reform (6%) and unemployment (6%). Those choosing the European financial crisis rose from zero in February 2010, the last time this question was asked, and those citing the political environment fell from 26%.
Millionaires were slightly more concerned about the European financial crisis (29%) than the affluent but less focused on the political environment (12%).
Historical Performance
| December | January | February | March | April | May | |
| Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence IndexSM | -15 |
-13 |
-10 |
-12 |
-9 |
-5 |
| Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence IndexSM | -10 |
-9 |
-10 |
-6 |
-1 |
-1 |
Methodology
The Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICISM) is based on 250 monthly interviews with the financial decision-makers in households with $500,000 or more in investable assets. The data have a margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points. The Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICISM) is based on a subset of the overall survey group.
Contact Information:
Contact:
George Walper
(312) 454-3320
gwalper@spectrem.com