UK retail investors believe that inflation is deeply entrenched in the economy, posing the most risk to their portfolio, new research commissioned by HYCM has revealed.
The trading broker commissioned an independent survey of 914 UK-based investors, all of whom have investments in excess of £10,000, excluding the value of their savings and residential property.
It found that the majority (56%) believe that persistent inflation is now ingrained in the economy and will be difficult to reverse.
When quizzed about the factors presenting the most risk to their investment portfolio, inflation (50%) was the most common selected a further, followed by market shocks and volatility (45%), slow economy growth (44%) and the possibility of a banking crisis (39%).
More than two in five (43%) retail investors believe that the Bank of England should stop hiking interest rates to avoid a banking crisis. Over a third (35%) sayinterest rates have risen too high and are negatively impacting their investments.
Less than one third (31%) were confident that the UK Government will be able to deliver on its pledge to half inflation this year.
Giles Coghlan, Chief Market Analyst, consulting for HYCM, said: “While the effort to contain US inflation now seems to be bearing some fruit, UK inflation is proving to be stickier than expected. Following the Bank of England’s 12th consecutive interest rate hike, persistent inflationary pressures, including wage growth and a tight labour market, mean that interest rates could rise even higher still this year.
“With core inflation ticking up and the headline print remaining stagnant, our research shows that investors are rightfully concerned about the impact of inflation on their assets and the wider economy. However, the Bank of England is no longer forecasting a recession for the UK and has revised GDP up for next year to 0.75% from a prior projected fall of -0.25%, which should provide investors with some confidence about the road ahead. That said, with millions of homeowners still to feel the full impact of rising interest rates, stronger growth may still prove illusive for the UK economy, especially if rates have to move to 5% and beyond to tackle strong UK inflationary pressures.”
