Romanians are more interested in crypto than in other assets, a survey from the eToro online investment platform claimed Friday.
Portfolio
Twenty-eight percent of respondents said that they have cryptoassets in their portfolio, while 19% are investing in gold and silver, the survey revealed.
The poll however also showed that Romanians shied away from investing either due to a lack of disposable income or a lack of knowledge about investing.
Of those that do invest, 18% put their funds in shares, and 4% into art, collectibles or expensive wines.
Investment
The poll also revealed that the retail investment has taken hold in Romania. Some 58% are more likely to invest since the pandemic began.
Online platforms are the preferred way of investing, with 37% stating they invested through an online platform, 26% invest through a bank, 12% through a broker and 9% invest through a financial advisor.
One-third of Romanians who invest in stocks chose Romanian ones, while 28% opted for international stocks. Some 22% do both.
Speculative nature
A Bank for International Settlements report says that “small traders seem to be often attracted by the speculative nature of single stocks, rather than by the diversification benefits of indices.”
“Share turnover for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the S&P 500 has flattened over the past four years, while that for the S&P 500’s individual constituents has been on an upward trend.”
It pointed to 2017 as the moment when retail investing began to take off.
Crypto
Like American investors, Romanian are attracted by crypto and tech shares.
However, not everyone is investing. Five percent said it was too risky and two-thirds said they didn’t have disposable income.
Some 80% of respondents said they had an income of less than 5000 lei, with a 11% earning 10,000. Some 1.6% earned more than 15,000 RON net per month. Others didn’t respond.
Investing
A tiny fraction_ 3%_ said they didn’t invest as they preferred to keep their money in the bank.
Reflecting widespread lack of know-how about investing, 47% said they didn’t have a grasp and didn’t know where to start.
The survey was carried out on behalf of eToro by Attest at the end of October 2021, online. Some 1,000 Romanians aged from 18 to 55 were randomly surveyed.
The survey was handled by Bogdan Maioreanu, eToro analyst and markets commentator, with more than 20 years of experience in financial services and investments.
eToro is an investment platform founded in 2006 It has 23 million users. It focuses on providing financial and copy trading services such as forex and crypto.
