CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Dec 28, 2011) - Spectrem Group announced today that its Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI (SM)) rose 4 points in December to -9, advancing to its highest level since July 2011.
This gain in the affluent index, which measures the investment confidence and outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, represents its fourth-straight monthly advance and returns the index to neutral territory from mildly bearish.
Meanwhile, the Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI(SM)) rose 3 points in December to -3, improving to its highest level since June 2011, when it stood at -1. It remains in neutral territory.
"Affluent investors saw their investment confidence rise for a fourth-straight month in December as concerns about the economy declined substantially. Millionaires also demonstrated increased investment confidence. Interestingly, both groups remained concerned about the political climate. With the Iowa Caucuses coming just after the New Year, the investment confidence of the wealthiest Americans may well come under additional pressure as the presidential race heats up," said George H. Walper, Jr., President of Spectrem Group.
Additional insights from the indexes are available on the 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 December cited: the economy (20%); the political climate (20%); market conditions (12%); unemployment (8%); the Europe crisis (8%); and inflation (5%). Those citing the economy fell from 39% in September 2011, the last time this question was asked, and those citing the political climate declined from 21%.
Millionaires were less focused on the economy (19%) but more focused on the political climate (28%) than the affluent.
Historical Performance
| July | August | September | October | November | December | |
| Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index(SM) | -9 |
-18 |
-16 |
-14 |
-13 |
-9 |
| Spectrem Millionaire Investor Confidence Index(SM) | -5 |
-9 |
-10 |
-13 |
-6 |
-3 |
Methodology
The Spectrem Affluent Investor Confidence Index (SAICI (SM)) is based on 250 monthly email 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:
George Walper
(224) 544-5350
gwalper@spectrem.com