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Nearly 8 in 10 Retail Investors Invest Monthly as Gen‑Z Leads the Charge, Study Shows

Thursday, 12/02/2026 | 21:10 GMT by Jared Kirui
  • According to eToro, about 70% of retail investors regularly monitor their portfolios.
  • Allocations to equities and cash have declined as investors seek broader exposure and better risk management.
eToro (shutterstock)

Retail investors increased discipline and diversification in 2025, according to new global survey data from eToro’s Retail Investor Beat. The findings suggest that regular investing, closer portfolio monitoring and broader asset exposure now characterize activity in this segment.

Retail Investors Invest Monthly and Monitor Portfolios

The survey, conducted by Opinium for eToro, covers 11,000 retail investors across 13 countries. It shows that 70% of respondents actively review their portfolios, while 79% invest in markets every month. Among younger cohorts, 87% of Gen Z and 86% of millennials invest monthly, compared with 79% of Gen X and 68% of baby boomers.

eToro Global Market Strategist Lale Akoner said retail investors are engaged, deliberate and consistent and no longer match the opportunistic image from 2021. She added that many entered markets during a period of volatility and macro uncertainty, which encouraged them to track global trends and use technology and information to manage risk.

Continue reading: Dukascopy Expands MT5 Instruments to More than 400, Adds Metals and Crypto CFDs

Lale Akoner, Source: LinkedIn

The data indicates a second year of rising diversification across asset classes. Between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2025, the share of investors holding commodities rose by 11 percentage points, domestic bonds by 6 points and foreign bonds by 14 points, while exposure to cryptoassets and foreign equities also increased.

Portfolios Broaden as Dollar Weakens

Over the same period, allocations to domestic equities and cash declined. Akoner said investors are increasingly allocating capital with diversification firmly in mind across a broader opportunity set and use it as a risk‑management tool.

The report also links positioning to macro moves, noting that 49% of respondents plan to adjust portfolios as the US dollar weakens and that gold ownership has risen to 48%, up three percentage points since the second quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, recent reports by eToro showed that roughly one-third of stock trading on the platform occurs outside traditional market hours. The shift signals strong demand from clients who want more flexibility to react to news and market moves beyond the standard US session.

The milestone came after eToro expanded 24/5 access to all S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 stocks, following an initial July rollout that covered 100 top US equities. Earlier reports showed that eToro held 45 per cent of existing Australian contracts for differences traders, while Capital.com onboarded 14 per cent of new traders, the highest share among brokers.

Retail investors increased discipline and diversification in 2025, according to new global survey data from eToro’s Retail Investor Beat. The findings suggest that regular investing, closer portfolio monitoring and broader asset exposure now characterize activity in this segment.

Retail Investors Invest Monthly and Monitor Portfolios

The survey, conducted by Opinium for eToro, covers 11,000 retail investors across 13 countries. It shows that 70% of respondents actively review their portfolios, while 79% invest in markets every month. Among younger cohorts, 87% of Gen Z and 86% of millennials invest monthly, compared with 79% of Gen X and 68% of baby boomers.

eToro Global Market Strategist Lale Akoner said retail investors are engaged, deliberate and consistent and no longer match the opportunistic image from 2021. She added that many entered markets during a period of volatility and macro uncertainty, which encouraged them to track global trends and use technology and information to manage risk.

Continue reading: Dukascopy Expands MT5 Instruments to More than 400, Adds Metals and Crypto CFDs

Lale Akoner, Source: LinkedIn

The data indicates a second year of rising diversification across asset classes. Between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2025, the share of investors holding commodities rose by 11 percentage points, domestic bonds by 6 points and foreign bonds by 14 points, while exposure to cryptoassets and foreign equities also increased.

Portfolios Broaden as Dollar Weakens

Over the same period, allocations to domestic equities and cash declined. Akoner said investors are increasingly allocating capital with diversification firmly in mind across a broader opportunity set and use it as a risk‑management tool.

The report also links positioning to macro moves, noting that 49% of respondents plan to adjust portfolios as the US dollar weakens and that gold ownership has risen to 48%, up three percentage points since the second quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, recent reports by eToro showed that roughly one-third of stock trading on the platform occurs outside traditional market hours. The shift signals strong demand from clients who want more flexibility to react to news and market moves beyond the standard US session.

The milestone came after eToro expanded 24/5 access to all S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 stocks, following an initial July rollout that covered 100 top US equities. Earlier reports showed that eToro held 45 per cent of existing Australian contracts for differences traders, while Capital.com onboarded 14 per cent of new traders, the highest share among brokers.

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About the Author: Jared Kirui
Jared Kirui
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Jared is an experienced financial journalist passionate about all things forex and CFDs.

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