CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - June 30, 2010) - Spectrem Group (www.spectrem.com) announced today that its Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI SM) fell 7 points in June to end the first half of the year at -12.
This decline in the affluent index, which measures the investment outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, represents its largest since June 2009, when it lost 8 points, and returns the index to mildly bearish territory.
Meanwhile, the Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI SM) fell 6 points to -7, a neutral reading.
"Affluent investors and millionaires alike ended the first half of 2010 on a down note, erasing the gains they had posted in April and May. The affluent even returned to a mildly bearish stance. With the political climate and the economy still overriding concerns for both groups, it is unlikely we'll see considerable improvement in the investment outlook of the nation's wealthiest investors in the summer of 2010," said George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group.
In response to an open-ended question about the most serious threat to achieving their household financial goals, affluent investors in June cited: the political climate (26%); the economy (24%); market conditions (10%); unemployment (5%); inflation (4%); and health-related issues (3%). Those choosing the political climate rose from 25% in March 2010, the last time this question was asked, while those citing the economy fell from 26%.
Millionaires were slightly more concerned about the political climate (29%) than the affluent but less focused on the economy (20%).
Historical Performance
| January | February | March | April | May | June | |
| Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence IndexSM | -13 |
-10 |
-12 |
-9 |
-5 |
-12 |
| Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence IndexSM | -9 |
-10 |
-6 |
-1 |
-1 |
-7 |
Methodology
The Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI SM) 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 (SMICI SM) is based on a subset of the overall survey group.
Contact Information:
Contact:
George Walper
(312) 454-3320
gwalper@spectrem.com