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Taiwan retail embraces online trading

Rising wealth suggests more people will shift their asset allocation from real estate to investing more in capital markets, says Celent.
In 2007, each family in Taiwan had an average of $500,000 in assets, of which 50% was invested in real estate, 23% in bonds and securities, 6% in cash deposits, and 21% in other investments.

Celent, a Boston-based consultancy, says as the number of millionaires rises, their investment habits change. It expects that more wealthy people in Taiwan will shift their asset allocation to emphasise funds and securities over real estate.

For rich people, the firm notes in a recent study, equity stocks account for 24% of capital allocation, fixed-income products account for 15%, cash deposit accounts for 23%, real estate accounts for 16%, and other investments account for 32%.

ôGenerally speaking, the higher the income, the less retail traders invest in real estate, and the more they invest in bonds and securities and private funds,ö says the report.

The report says there are 6.5 million retail trading accounts in Taiwan, of which 10û15% belong to active traders. As the market matures, retail traders will increase, and active traders will become more common.

Active traders prefer the following products: equity stocks, options, futures, stock purchase warrants, Reits, ETFs, and other funds.

In terms of income, approximately 60% of retail traders are middle class, 23% earn less than $6,000 per year, and 17% earn over $35,000 per year.

As investment patterns change, more retail investors are also trading online û accounting for 19% of trading volumes. The five largest brokers are YuanTa Securities, Polaris Securities, Sino-Pac Securities, Central Trust of China, and Jih Sun Securities, which together have more than half the online market share.
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