Growing Number of French Women Wants to Trade, AMF Study Shows

The French
financial markets regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (<a href=”https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/amf/” target=”_blank” rel=”follow”>AMF</a>), has
published a report examining the activity and standard profile of the average
investor. Although men continue to dominate the group of retail traders, women
are increasingly willing to engage in various forms of investment. The study
was published on 8 March 2023, when many countries celebrate International
Women’s Day.AMF Highlights Increasing
Number of Women InvestorsFor the
first time, the AMF has released a study that provides insights into the
activities of retail investors based on their age and gender, with the aim of
identifying their typical profiles. The study
found that in 2022, men constituted 70% of active retail investors, while women
made up 30%. The study also revealed that retail traders’ behavior varied based
on age. Specifically, men engaged in more transactions in the younger age
groups, while the number of women participating gradually increased over time. Only 17% of
women under 35 described themselves as active investors, while more than 30% of
their peers aged 55 or above traded actively. Overall, <a href=”https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/france-had-over-15-million-active-stock-market-investors-in-2022-amf/” target=”_blank” rel=”follow”>the group of active
investors</a>, both men and women, represents 2.1% of the entire French population.”Regarding
the amounts of equity transactions, we note that the amounts of women’s
transactions are very similar to those of men. Women in the younger age groups
nevertheless tend to perform transactions for significantly larger amounts than
men: 3 times larger for those aged 24 and under and 1.4 times larger for the
25-29 age group,” AMF noted in its recent study.The older
the age group, the higher the percentage of women investing. For investors
under 24, men account for 84% of all active traders. However, in the group over
65, the values start to equalize, and in the group over 75, the number of
active female and male investors is practically the same.French Women Prefer Equity
Market According
to the AMF survey, most investors deal in <a href=”https://www.financemagnates.com/terms/e/equities/” class=”terms__main-term” id=”d6e02698-4c6b-44dd-ab57-9ff12763325c” target=”_blank”>equities</a> (78.1%), followed by ETFs
(13.4%), complex instruments (5.5% and bonds (3%).”Among
the differences noted, male investors are more numerous than female investors
in complex products (6.6% of male investors versus 2.8% of female investors,
for all age groups combined) and, conversely, female investors are more
numerous than males in bonds (5.5% of females versus 1.9% of males, for all age
groups combined)”, AMF added.It may
confirm <a href=”https://www.financemagnates.com/binary-options/analysis/men-vs-women-gender-wars-in-the-financial-markets/” target=”_blank” rel=”follow”>previous studies showing</a> that female investors have a higher risk
aversion and prefer to take safer investments, hence are more likely to go for
bonds. Men, on the other hand, are willing to accept more risk in search of
higher returns.”Less
likely than men to be optimistic about changes in their own economic and
financial situation, women are less likely to show an appetite for unsecured
investments. They are less interested in equity investments, which they more
often than men consider too risky. As a result, women invest less in the stock
market than men,” AMF concluded in <a href=”https://www.amf-france.org/sites/institutionnel/files/private/2023-03/Barom%C3%A8treAMF_Les%20femmes%20et%20l%27investissement%20en%20bourse_Mars2023_VEN.pdf”>another
study published today</a>, titled “Women and Investment.”<a href=”https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/new-french-investors-are-skeptical-about-equities-investments-amf-survey/” target=”_blank” rel=”follow”>According
to a previous study from December 2022</a>, the French financial market supervisor witnessed
a drop in the sentiment among new investors to invest in the country’s equities.
However, existing French investors are more optimistic about the stock market.