CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - September 29, 2010) - Spectrem Group announced today that its Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI(SM)) rose 12 points in September to -6.
This advance, the largest for the millionaire index since May 2009, offsets an 11-point decline in August 2010 and returns it to neutral territory.
Meanwhile, the Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI(SM)), which measures the investment confidence and outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, rose 4 points in September to -16, a mildly bearish reading.
"Millionaires' investment confidence has bounced back from a sizable decline in August to post its largest gain in more than a year. The broader affluent population also saw its confidence improve. Nevertheless, despite these September advances the nation's wealthiest investors remain extremely cautious, concerned with both the political climate and the economy," 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 September cited: the political climate (27%); the economy (26%); unemployment (7%); market conditions (5%), health-related issues (2%); and inflation (1%). Those citing the political climate rose from 26% in June 2010, the last time this question was asked, and those citing the economy rose from 24%.
Millionaires were more focused on both the economy (31%) and the political climate (28%) than the affluent.
Historical Performance
| April | May | June | July | August | September | |
| Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index(SM) | -9 | -5 | -12 | -16 | -20 | -16 |
| Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index(SM) | -1 | -1 | -7 | -7 | -18 | -6 |
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