The Australian unit of CMC Invest, the share trading division of CMC Markets (LON: CMCX), revealed that around 75 per cent of all trades in the country last year were ‘buy’ orders. The four most traded instruments by Aussies were the ‘big four’ exchange-traded funds: IVV, VGS, VAS and NDQ.
Interestingly, Aussie investors showed a bias towards local stocks, with total executions for ASX-listed stocks almost six times higher than those for US stocks.
“A Difficult Year to Navigate”
“On the surface, 2025 appeared positive, looking at the returns of major indices, both here and abroad. However, in practice, it was a difficult year to navigate,” said Director of Premium Client Trading ANZ at CMC Invest, Fraser Allan.
“Rates remained higher for longer, trade tensions resurfaced, AI-driven enthusiasm intensified, and geopolitical pressures persisted. Euphoric rallies in gold and silver added to the sense of unease, pointing to growing uncertainty in global markets.”
He further stressed that traders on the CMC Invest platform showed “resilience and discipline”, adding: “When uncertainty rose, clients chose patience over panic. When opportunities emerged, they stepped forward with conviction.”
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CMC Invest has also become the second-largest share market trading platform in Australia, with a client base of over 1 million. This followed Australia’s ANZ Group transferring its investment client base to CMC Markets in 2021.
Apart from Australia, the stock trading platform is also available in the UK and Singapore. Notably, it operates separately from the CMC Markets platform, which primarily offers forex and contracts for difference (CFD) instruments.
Last year, the institutional division of CMC Markets secured an extended technology partnership with Westpac Banking, one of Australia’s four major banks, to provide white-label trading platforms for the bank’s retail share trading services. Its push in the region became more visible when it partnered with New Zealand’s ASB Bank, a major financial institution with around 1.5 million customers, for a similar white-label technology agreement.
Nvidia Dominates, While Tesla Dip Attracted Investors
When it comes to individual stocks, CMC Invest’s Aussie investors focused mainly on two US stocks: Nvidia and Tesla. While the semiconductor stock was the most traded on the platform, 77 per cent of orders for the electric car maker were on the buy side, largely reflecting a tendency to buy during price falls.
Interestingly, Bitcoin ranked ninth overall among traded instruments and fourth when ETFs are excluded. Around 82 per cent of Bitcoin orders were placed on the buy side.
“Looking ahead to 2026, uncertainty and market volatility are likely to persist,” Allan added. “Against this backdrop, we expect investors to remain active in identifying opportunities, both domestically and offshore.”
