More financial news doesn’t mean more trading

Despite the rise in financial news from all business news channels, the Internet and social media sources, Canadians don’t trade more frequently, a BMO survey finds.

By Staff | September 19, 2013 | Last updated on September 19, 2013

1 min read

Despite more financial news from business channels, the Internet and social media sources, Canadians don’t trade more frequently, a BMO survey finds.

Only 14% of investors say they trade more because of the increase in news, while 71% say it hasn’t impacted their trading style.

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Investing tips and recommendations are most likely to prompt investors to make changes to their portfolios, with 65% saying a solid recommendation would cause them to buy or sell. Changes in interest rates would prompt 63% of investors to change their investments, and fluctuations in major stock indexes would spur 50% to buy or sell.

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Ups or downs in the value of currencies would influence 42% of investors, while political unrest would concern 44%. A natural disaster would provoke 43% to change their portfolio. Corporate news like earnings and product launches affects 48% of investors’ decisions, and allegations of corruption within a company are an investment factor for 44%.