03/22/2006
Affluent investors are becoming increasingly concerned about the national economic climate, according to the March installment of the Citigroup Smith Barney monthly poll. Moreover, while a majority still predicts that their personal investments will grow, overall, the group’s confidence is eroding quickly.
The number of poll respondents who believe the investment climate is better now than it was one year ago dropped from 49 percent to 39 percent. Less than half (40 percent) of the respondents said they are doing better financially now than they were 12 months ago.
The number of investors who foresee meeting or exceeding their expected investment performance slipped 10 percentage points, dropping to 61 percent.
The Citigroup Smith Barney poll was conducted in early February by Mathew Greenwald & Associates and Synovate, which queried 575 private investors on the Synovate Consumer Opinion Panel.