A growing proportion of Canadians remain uneasy about investing, even though stock markets have improved of late.
Half of the respondents to a Franklin Templeton Investments survey said they were unaware that the TSX had risen 31% in the past five months. About 40% of respondents to the survey, which was conducted by Angus Reid Strategies, considered themselves timid or suspicious investors. That's up from 34% in February.
"The poll results highlight the conflict in investor confidence," said Don Reed, Franklin Templeton Investments' president and CEO. "On the one hand, markets are recovering, while on the other, many investors are feeling anxious and uncertain."
As market skepticism has risen, investors who describe themselves as opportunistic and analytical risk-takers has dropped to 28% from 33% in February.
Only 9% of respondents were aware that the market has returned more than 20% since March, and 11% erroneously believed that the market had fallen since March.
B.C. investors were among Canada's most knowledgeable, but only slightly. About 43% didn't know how the TSX had performed in the past five months; 14% said they knew the index had returned more than 20% since March.