Will the Stock Market Be the Big Winner of 2024 for Investors?
In 2023, 32% of those surveyed by Audirep on behalf of the AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) said they were interested in investing in stocks, which is 7 percentage points higher than in 2022.
27% of French people say they intend to invest in the stock market in 2024. Following a sharp decline in 2022, more savers are considering investing in stocks in 2023. This renewed interest is driven in particular by those under 35, 43% of whom say they are interested in 2023.
The 2023 edition of the AMF Savings and Investment Barometer thus reflects a growing interest in stock market investing, which is at its highest level since 2017, the year the barometer was launched.
In 2023, 32% of respondents said they were interested in investing in stocks—7 percentage points more than in 2022—and 28% said they had confidence in this type of product, compared with 21% in 2022.
When asked whether they might consider investing in stocks over the next 12 months, 27% of French people stated their intention to invest.
This trend coincides with an increase in the level of confidence expressed by a number of them regarding the outlook for their own economic and financial situation, despite the inflationary environment.
Forty-three percent of French people now believe that stock investments will be profitable over the next five years. Last year, that figure was 37 percent.
But this trend is also driven by interest among younger people. In fact, 43 percent of French people under 35 say they are interested in stock investments, compared with 30 percent in 2022. Young people are also more likely to accept a small amount of risk, with this figure reaching a record high of 48%—10 percentage points higher than in 2022.
On another note, the Barometer also details, for the first time, French people’s perceptions of the key characteristics of savings accounts, real estate investment trusts (such as SCPIs), stocks, and crypto-assets.
The AMF notes that investors distinguish between products based more on their level of risk than on their potential return or liquidity. Crypto-assets are considered risky by 65% of French people, followed by stocks, which 56% of respondents consider risky, and real estate investment trusts, which 34% of respondents consider risky.
When it comes to the liquidity of their investments, 29% of respondents consider real estate investment trusts to be liquid, 34% consider stock investments to be liquid, and 33% consider crypto-assets to be liquid.
Overall, the average time French people are willing to keep their money tied up is rising from 4.2 years in 2022 to 5.7 years in 2023. This positive trend is once again driven by young people, 25% of whom are willing to keep their money tied up for more than 10 years, compared with 12% of those aged 35–54.
When it comes to scams, 15% of respondents say they have been the victim of a financial investment scam, and among them, 35% are under 35, compared with 6% of those 55 and older. "One can’t help but be struck by the number of French people who say they’ve been victims of a financial scam: 15%, and 35% among young people—that’s significant! I particularly urge younger people to be wary of information and offers circulating on social media, which are sometimes shared by influencers. Watch out for scams! An investment must be carefully considered, and you should educate yourself by reading regulatory documents and visiting our website,” said AMF Chair Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani.
