TOKYO, JAPAN and PLANTATION, Fla. and HONG KONG, CHINA, June 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TradeStation Securities ("TradeStation"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Monex Group, Inc. (TSE:8698), which also includes Monex, Inc. ("Monex") and Monex Boom Securities, today announced the results of the "Monex Global Retail Investor Survey, Vol. 5," revealing that an overwhelming majority of TradeStation clients (74%) are worried that the European debt crisis could result in a serious financial crisis.
Twenty-nine percent of TradeStation clients say that the European debt crisis is a factor in making their investment decisions – as opposed to 24% who say they will base their decisions on the strength of the U.S. economy. More than half project that global equities will be down over the next three months, with an additional 26% predicting that they will remain flat. Although pessimism about the stock market is predominant among investors, a majority of TradeStation customers (69%) say that the U.S. stock market will outperform stocks in Europe/U.K., Asia (excluding Japan) and Japan.
Monex has been conducting its monthly retail investor survey with its Japanese clients since October 2009. The "Monex Global Retail Investor Survey," covering retail clients in Japan, Hong Kong and the U.S., was launched in June 2011 and is conducted on a quarterly basis.
A majority of TradeStation clients in the U.S. (54%) say that if President Obama is reelected, they will be more bearish. This bearish sentiment has risen from 43% in March 2012. Should Mitt Romney be elected president, 52% of respondents say they will have a more bullish investment outlook, up from 39% of those surveyed in March 2012.
"Our clients expect major events with unknown outcomes – like the European debt crisis and the U.S. presidential election – to influence the financial markets and their outlook for investment and trading," said Salomon Sredni, CEO of TradeStation Group, Inc. and COO of Monex Group, Inc. "Our top priority is providing our clients with the best possible analysis and trading tools to help them identify opportunities in these times of uncertainty."
The report uses the Diffusion Index (DI) – the percentage of positive responses minus the percentage of negative responses – to assess investor sentiment. Other findings from the survey are summarized below. Please refer to the full report for complete results.
Japanese investor expectations of Japanese stocks improved markedly, but expectations for U.S. and Chinese stocks remained about the same. Expectations for Japanese stocks improved by 14 points from a DI of 10 points to 24 points, expectations for U.S. stocks rose just 2 points from 33 points to 35 points, and Chinese stock expectations were barely changed, up 1 point to -18 points.
Expectations for global equity markets over the next three months declined in all three regions, with DIs for U.S. and Japanese investors plunging by more than 25 points. Hong Kong investors remained the most positive, with the DI falling only 7 points.
Expectations for the Japanese yen to appreciate against the U.S. dollar eased a bit. Forty percent of investors surveyed expect the yen to decline against the dollar over the next three months, while 30% foresee appreciation and 30% expect no change.
Finally, in all three regions the topic of most interest was the European debt crisis, but the percentage of respondents expressing greatest interest in the Eurozone issue was considerably lower in the U.S. compared to Japan and Hong Kong. Majorities of investors in the U.S. (74%) and Hong Kong (54%) expect the problem to turn into a serious crisis, while in Japan, fully one-third (33%) of respondents said they are "not sure" how the crisis will resolve.
The Monex Global Retail Investor Survey measures customer sentiment based upon answers to specific questions received from a random sampling of customers of Monex, Inc., TradeStation Securities, Inc., IBFX, Inc., and Boom Securities (H.K.) Ltd. Details of the methodology used to conduct the survey are available upon request. Accuracy and completeness of the data derived from the survey are not guaranteed.
The information contained herein should not be construed as investment research or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities, securities derivatives, futures or off-exchange foreign currency products or services. Investor sentiment derived from the survey responses is no guarantee of future performance or success.
Active trading regardless of asset class (equities, futures, foreign exchange) carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Relevant risk disclosures are available at www.tradestation.com.
About Monex Group Inc.
Monex Group Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange 1st section: 8698), including its main subsidiary Monex Inc. (Tokyo, Oki Matsumoto, Chairman and CEO), an online securities brokerage, provides advanced and unique financial services to individual investors. Monex Group has been a pioneer among Japanese online securities brokers since the complete liberalization of commissions and fees in stock brokerages in 1999. Monex relentlessly strives to offer its customers in Japan innovative products and services and has established its reputation as a unique independent financial institution group. Its services cover M&A advisory, debt & equity underwriting, asset management focusing on alternative investments, investment education, and other investment banking functions along with an online distribution network to more than 1.2 million individual investors in Japan.
Monex Group aims to globalize its customer base and businesses in addition to enhancing its global product line and services. Specifically, in recent years, Monex has embarked on an ambitious plan to strengthen its products and services globally by focusing its expansion efforts to date on the growing Chinese market, by opening representative offices in Beijing and acquiring BOOM Securities (H.K.) Limited and its group companies in Hong Kong. As a core element in the further expansion and global diversification of its businesses, it has been seeking opportunities to expand into the U.S. market, which it saw as the missing pillar in achieving a truly global platform. The acquisition of TradeStation provides Monex with an immediate expansion and strong commercial presence in the U.S. online brokerage market.
About TradeStation Group, Inc.
TradeStation Group, Inc., through its principal operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. and IBFX, Inc., offers analytical and trading platforms to the active trader and certain institutional trader markets. The TradeStation platform offers electronic order execution and enables clients to design, test, optimize, monitor and automate their own custom equities, options, futures and forex trading strategies. TradeStation Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monex Group, one of the largest online financial services providers in Japan.
TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC, NSCC, DTC, OCC & NFA) is a licensed securities broker-dealer and a registered futures commission merchant, and also a member of the Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Chicago Stock Exchange, International Securities Exchange and NASDAQ OMX. Its TradeStation Prime Services division, based in New York, seeks to provide prime brokerage services, including securities lending, to small and mid-sized hedge funds and other firms. IBFX, Inc. (Member NFA) is a Retail Foreign Exchange Dealer (RFED) that provides forex brokerage services directly and through its TradeStation Forex division. The company's technology subsidiary, TradeStation Technologies, Inc., develops and offers strategy trading software tools and subscription services. TradeStation Europe Limited, an FSA-authorized brokerage firm, introduces UK and other European accounts to TradeStation Securities, Inc. and IBFX, Inc.
About Monex BOOM Securities (H.K.) Limited
Monex BOOM Securities (H.K.) Limited ("BOOM") offers multi-market and multi-currency online securities trading services to investors all around the world. With BOOM's proprietary web-based trading platform, investors can trade equities in all major exchanges and manage different major currencies via one single account. Currently, it offers access to securities listed on over 17 stock markets in 12 countries. In addition, BOOM also develops trading solutions for other financial institutions.
Being the first company to launch Internet stock trading in Asia/Pacific, BOOM introduced a new pattern of self-directed cross-border investment by applying new technology to traditional equities trading and financial services. BOOM aims to provide retail investors with PRIVATE, EASE, SPEEDINESS and INEXPENSIVE international stock trading services.
BOOM is a fully licensed Broker/Dealer regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Hong Kong. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monex Group, one of the largest online financial services providers in Japan.