Where South African investors get their information

South African investors’ most popular sources for investment information are news publications, company reports, online videos and podcasts, and Twitter.

This was one of the findings in Daily Investor’s 2022 South African Investor Report, which was based on responses from over 1,000 retail and institutional investors.

The survey revealed that South African investors are increasingly handling their own investments.

Only 44% of survey respondents use a financial advisor to assist with their investment decisions.

One of the reasons is that there is not enough awareness regarding the value of financial advisors.

People are not certain about the services they offer, and many feel they don’t have enough money to invest to justify asking a financial advisor to help.

Another reason is that some investors do not trust financial advisors who work on commission.

There is a feeling that some financial advisors will promote financial products and services that offer them the best commission rather than make the best decisions in the client’s interest.

There is also a group of investors who are confident in their abilities, especially with the wealth of resources available online, to make good decisions without professional help.

Freely available investment information means they no longer have to rely on a financial advisor or stockbroker to invest their money and generate a return.

Most popular sources for information

The most popular source of information among South African investors is news publications like Daily Investor, Moneyweb, BusinessTech, Business Day, and Biznews.

Another important source is company reports, including annual reports, SENS announcements, and financial updates.

Podcasts and videos are growing in popularity among South African investors, while Twitter is the most popular social media platform for financial information.

YouTube is widely used to listen to interviews with CEOs, analysts, and other investing experts.

Traditional mediums, like television and books, are the least popular channels among South African investors to gather information.

*The survey was promoted on Daily Investor, which likely skewed the results in its favour.