CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - March 30, 2011) - Spectrem Group announced today that its Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI(SM)) dropped 9 points in March to a level of 8, falling back to neutral territory.
This decline follows a 15-point advance in February 2011, which brought the index to a mildly bullish level for the first time in more than 3 years. Despite its March decline, the index is at its second-highest level since December 2007, when it also stood at 8.
Meanwhile, the Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI(SM)) fell 3 points in March to a neutral reading of 1.
"Millionaires' investment confidence fell in March, erasing more than half the prior month's gains and returning it to a neutral stance from mildly bullish. Confidence also slipped among the broader affluent population. With the economy and political environment ranking as their top sources of concern, it appears America's wealthiest investors have added a solid dose of caution to their investment outlook," said George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group.
Additional insights from the indexes are available on Spectrem's newly launched Spectrem's Millionaire Corner website (www.millionairecorner.com).
These include:
In response to an open-ended question about the most serious threat to achieving their household financial goals, affluent investors in March cited: the economy (22%); the political climate (22%); unemployment (10%); market conditions (7%); inflation (5%); and health-related issues (5%). Those citing the economy fell from 24% in December 2010, the last time this question was asked, while those citing the political climate fell from 23%.
Millionaires were more focused on the economy (25%) than the affluent but less focused on the political climate (19%).
Historical Performance
| October | November | December | January | February | March | |
| Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index(SM) | -13 |
-8 |
-8 |
-3 |
4 |
1 |
| Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index(SM) | 0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
17 |
8 |
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.
About Spectrem's Millionaire Corner
Spectrem's Millionaire Corner website (www.millionairecorner.com) is a powerful source for up-to-the-minute news and information for investors, about investors designed to fuel financial growth. It incorporates Spectrem Group research as well as outside information. In the future, the site will offer financial advisor referrals.
About Spectrem Group
Spectrem Group is a strategic consulting firm specializing in the affluent and retirement markets, integrating proprietary research with expertise in building business, marketing and M&A strategies. Its professionals have held senior management positions at leading global companies.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Sharon Bially
(508) 655-2676
sharon@farrellkramer.com