For financial firms and their clients, the markets speak louder than Donald Trump. And Janet Yellen is more influential than Hillary Clinton
Yet even before Trump and Clinton became their parties’ presumptive nominees, many advisors and investors told researchers that the presidential election would impact their investing approach.
According to a new study from Louisville, Ky.-based Jefferson National, advisors rated the election as the third top trend likely to impact their investment strategy.
Only 25 percent said the election would impact their strategy. Meanwhile, 34 percent of advisors said volatility was the greater concern, while 32 percent said U.S. monetary policy was more important.
Investors rated the presidential race second in their list, with 30 percent of them arguing that it will impact their investment approach. A higher number, 31 percent, said that low investment returns were more likely to affect their future investment decisions. And 30 percent said that U.S. Fed policy was the trend influencing their investment strategy (tying with those who said it was the election).
When each group was asked to name factors most likely to cause market volatility, investors rated the presidential election first, with 36 percent of the response, while advisors rated it third, with 30 percent of the response.
Only 15 percent of advisors and 8 percent of investors said that the presidential election outcome wouldn’t impact their investment choices.
While both advisor and investor respondents said they were more likely to vote Republican in November, both groups anticipated a Democrat victory.
Jefferson National’s study was conducted by Harris Poll, which surveyed 683 advisors and 733 investors from March 3 to March 29.