Maltese investors overwhelmingly opt for local investment

Some 67% of Maltese investors only have local investments in their portfolios, while 5% of investors have purely foreign investments, and the remaining 29% have a mixed portfolio, a survey has shown.

The first edition of the BOV Investment Sentiment Index, conducted by MISCO International, shows that 47% of respondents capitalise on government stocks. 37% invest in shares, 20% in funds, 19% in investment grade bonds, and 12% in high yield bonds.

The vast majority of investors in Malta use an intermediary, such as a bank or consultant, with only 10% having the confidence to invest without seeking advice.

Roughly half of the interviewees engage in investment activity solely to generate an additional source of income, while 12% look upon investment to increase their capital, and 38% to both increase their capital and as an additional source of income.

44% if respondents described their investment strategy as conservative, while only 6% said they have an aggressive risk profile, and the remaining 51% said they have adopted a mixed approach.