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ISA investors go global in search for winning stock picks

Lucinda Beeman
Written By:
Lucinda Beeman
Posted:
Updated:
03/04/2014

The number of ISA investors trading on international stock markets has tripled in one year, according to research from TD Direct Investing.

Less than 12 per cent of ISA account holders were making international trades from 2011 to 2012. The following year, that percentage increased to 41 per cent – equivalent to ISA investors making international trades three times more often than they were a year ago.

Stuart Welch, CEO of TD Direct Investing, said: “We live in an increasingly globalised world, which is clearly reflected in our data and the investment choices that our ISA customers are making.

“International tech stocks such as Apple, Twitter and Facebook tend to dominate international top trade lists, with Irish banks such as Allied and the Bank of Ireland also becoming popular in recent months.”

North America is by far the most popular region among TD clients, encompassing 81 per cent of international trades.

Along with Europe it appeals to older investors, the majority of whom are between the ages of 30 and 39.

Investors in the Asia Pacific region, where 63 per cent of trades are made in Australian-listed companies, are the youngest in the world. Nearly four in ten are between 21 and 29 years old.

Canada is the second most popular country with investors, claiming 14.9 per cent of trades, while Australia, Germany and France round out the top five.

Most popular international stocks

Feb-14  Market  Trades 
Apple Inc  NASDAQ  16.0 per cent 
Tesla Motors Inc  NASDAQ  12.3 per cent 
Bank of Ireland  Irish Stock Exchange  11.3 per cent 
3D Systems Corporation  NYSE  10.5 per cent 
Facebook Inc  NASDAQ  9.7 per cent
Amazon.com Inc  NASDAQ  9.7 per cent 
Twitter Inc  NYSE  9.0 per cent 
Google Inc  NASDAQ  8.4 per cent 
Allied Irish Banks Irish Stock Exchange  7.7 per cent
Citigroup Inc  NYSE  5.4 per cent

*These figures are calculated as a percentage of the top ten trades only

 Source: TD Direct Investing