There is a gap between investors’ confidence in their own portfolios and the wider domestic economy, according to etoro’s latest Retail Investor Beat survey.
Some 81% of respondents expressed confidence about their investments, with 62% saying they were on track to achieve their primary investment goals.
This is matched by investment behaviour, with 31% of investors increasing contributions to portfolios over the past three months. A further 34% said they expected to continue increasing portfolio contributions in the following months.
However, this was not matched by confidence in the economy, with just 35% of investors expressing confidence in the UK economy.
Dan Moczulski, managing director at etoro UK, said: “UK investors have more confidence in their own financial plans than they do in the UK economy, and that makes sense.
“They cannot control growth, inflation or interest rates, but they can control how consistently they invest, how diversified they are and whether they stay focused on their long-term goals.”
For instance, despite elevated interest rates, more than half of UK investors have not changed their investment plans, according to the report.
However, investors are not indiscriminately investing in high-risk assets, with 30% of respondents planning to allocate to cash or short-term savings, followed by 25% who intend to invest more in growth stocks.
Moczulski said this proved that it is “outdated” to conclude the UK must choose between being a nation of savers or investors.
“Sensible people do both, using cash for security and flexibility while investing for longer-term growth.”
The report also found a change in the behaviour of millennial investors, particularly their willingness to buy during a market dip. Some 32% of millennial respondents said they would buy after a 5-10% market decline, compared to 26% in Q2 2025.
The report found that millennials who bought the dip were motivated by a desire to invest for the long term, or lower valuations (48% and 42% of respondents respectively), over short-term market rebounds.
Moczulski concluded: “The stereotype that millennials are simply chasing quick returns does not stand up to the data.
“They are buying earlier when valuations improve, but their leading motivation remains investing for the long term.”
See also: Monday Manager JO Hambro’s Herson: ‘The UK market is under M&A attack’
