Sharedealing statistics confirm investor confidence is on the rise

6 February 2004

Private investors continued their return to the market in the last months of 2003, according to figures from APCIMS firms released today.

The ComPeer quarterly report of private investor activity shows that private investors made fewer - but larger - trades in the fourth quarter of 2003 (October to December) than in the third July to September). In spite of the seasonal autumn drop in the number of individual trades, their total value rose by six per cent. In the New Year trading volumes began to rise significantly and have now topped 50,000 trades a day, compared to an average 30,000 trades in January 2003.

APCIMS Chief Executive Angela Knight said:

"This strong set of figures is an impressive end to a remarkable year - in spite of a long Christmas break. This rise in investor confidence represents a real opportunity for the Government. It now needs urgently to address the needs of the UK's savers in its forthcoming Budget, and as a first step it should immediately restore all tax breaks to ISAs."

Key figures of the ComPeer quarterly survey of private client activity include:

• private client trading volumes fell by seven per cent on the previous quarter, but the total value of shares traded rose by six per cent;
  
• an estimated £236 billion was held for private clients at the end of 2003; and
  
• the number of clients using online services reached a record 505,000.
  

Notes to editors

• APCIMS, the Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers, represents the overwhelming majority of private client stockbrokers and investment managers in the UK, and through them the more than 12 million individual shareholders in the UK.
  
• ComPeer was launched in May 1993 to provide competitor benchmarking services. Its reputation has been formed by the widely acclaimed Survey of Private Client Stockbroking and Fund Management which now has 70 participants. Contact Richard Bethell on 01293 822366.
  

For further information call

Kevin Sloane, Head of Information, APCIMS (office 020 7247 7080; mobile 07917 406939; email kevins@apcims.co.uk)