Close to 28% of respondents invest in precious metals, according to the latest report, “Polish Investor 2024″. Investors most commonly value precious metals as a tool protecting capital against inflation – this is one of the most frequently chosen assets for this purpose.
Goldsaver.pl of the Goldenmark Group is the substantive partner of the report, prepared by iKsync and the Cracow University of Economics. Michał Tekliński, a gold market expert from Goldsaver, emphasizes that given the current economic conditions, the decrease – compared to last year – in interest in gold is surprising.
– “It seems that those surveyed are less risk averse in the current situation. Precious metals (27.6%) are at a similar level to GPW/NC shares (29.9%), real estate (26.9%), foreign shares or bonds (26.1%), and cryptocurrencies (21.5%),” lists Michał Tekliński.
What to add to the portfolio? Precious metals!
The list of assets that investors would like to add to their portfolio is less diverse than those currently held or previously owned. Among traditional assets, government bonds (indicated by 25.8% of respondents) are most desired. And among alternative assets, investors would opt for precious metals (29.1%) and real estate (28.8%). These two categories are also the most frequently indicated assets overall.
– “In the future, Polish investors plan to invest less in deposits, bonds, real estate, precious metals or cryptocurrencies. Assets such as art and gemstones, start-ups, corporate bonds, Forex or derivatives will gain in popularity. This indicates an even greater appetite for risk,” adds the expert from Goldenmark Group.
An interesting finding is also the survey conducted among non-investors. Precious metals were pointed out as one of the most popular assets they would choose as their first investments. More than 21% of respondents answered in such a way. The only more popular “first investments” were treasury bonds and Polish złoty deposits.
Gold – the top choice for protection against inflation
According to the report, protection against inflation remains one of the most important reasons to invest, on par with concern for retirement income. For non-investors, this would be a slightly less important motive than the retirement goal. So, what do investors think protects best against inflation?
– “Government bonds (58%), precious metals (52%) and real estate (51%). There is a clear dissonance between the stated belief and actions here, as while half of investors choose bonds, precious metals and real estate are popular alongside stocks and cryptocurrencies,” comments Michał Tekliński.
Among non-investors, the order at the top of the list is similar. There is also the same trio, although in a slightly different order: first real estate (48%), then precious metals (41%), and then government bonds (38%). Hope in foreign financial instruments and Polish shares is less in this group.
The wealthiest bet on precious metals
Most investors have small portfolios – two thirds of them have assets worth less than 100,000 PLN. The main forms of assets are bank deposits (58%), government bonds (51%), units of investment funds (31%), and Polish shares (30%).
– “Native investors are not quite sure which direction they want to go in and how they want to achieve their goals. An exception here are those who have assets over 1 million PLN – as many as 47% of them have or have had precious metals in their portfolios. They want to take care of their future and protect their wealth, but they have a large and increasing propensity to take risks,” says Michał Tekliński.
The study also showed that the investors surveyed rarely make investment decisions. 55% of them do so several times a year, while 14% do so once a year or less. There are few very active investors. Investment decisions are made several times a week by 6% of respondents, and several times a day by less than 2% of respondents.
45% of us do not invest
Around 600 people declared in the survey that they do not invest. This is much more than a year ago (45% in 2024 vs. 26% in 2023). Why? Because of the lack of sufficient financial resources (69%), lack of knowledge (51%) and fear of losing savings (32%).
– “The lack of financial capacity to invest reflects the economic situation. High inflation and high interest rates translate into high loan installments and effectively drain Polish wallets. It’s worth noting that in recent years, the savings rate of our compatriots has been declining,” adds the expert from Goldsaver.pl.
What could determine the decision to invest part of the funds? A low barrier to entry – as indicated by 64% of non-investors. An important factor is also the understandability of information related to investment processes and trust in the brands of institutions.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/co-czwarty-polak-lokuje-majatek-w-zlocie-kruszce-topowym-wyborem-do-ochrony-przed-inflacja-90881
