Affluent Investor Confidence Rises For Fifth Straight Month

Investment confidence among the affluent and the very affluent edged up another notch last month, according to the Spectrem Group.     

Spectrem's "Affluent Investor Confidence Index" (SAICI ) rose 1 point in January to -8, representing its fifth-straight monthly increase, officials said. This gain in the affluent index, which measures the investment confidence and outlook of households with $500,000 or more in investable assets, brings the index to its highest level since May 2011, when it stood at 2, and keeps it in neutral territory.

Meanwhile, Spectrem's Millionaire Investor Confidence Index (SMICI) also rose 1 point during the month to -2, its highest since June 2011, when it stood at -1. It also remains in neutral territory.

Chicago-based Spectrem Group is a strategic consulting firm that specializes in the affluent and retirement markets. Its SAIC Index is based on 250 monthly email interviews with the financial decision-makers in households with $500,000 or more in investable assets. The SMIC Index is based on a subset of the overall survey group.

"Affluent investors saw their investment confidence rise slightly for a fifth-straight month in January as their concerns about the economy eased. Confidence among millionaires also inched higher," said George H. Walper Jr., president of Spectrem Group.

"However, with affluent investors' focus on the stock market intensifying in January, their modest improvement in confidence suggests this important group remains somewhat cautious as we move into the New Year," Walper added.