Dutch investors appearing more positive: ING

While the overall mood among Dutch investors remains slightly in the negative, investor confidence showed a marked increase in June, according to ING's monthly Investor Barometer report. The findings hint at growing positivity in the outlook for the Dutch economy, according to ING.

According to the bank's barometer, in which a score of under 100 indicates a negative mood, confidence among Dutch investors climbed from 83 in May to 98 in June, placing mood just short of a positive sentiment.

According to Bob Homan, the head of the investment office at ING, one reason for the improved mood has been the reliable performance of a number of large-cap US stocks, especially Amazon and Microsoft. "Investors show that they are following trends here. The shares of Amazon and Microsoft have been performing very well for a long time and again this year they stand out with price increases of 45 and 25% respectively," explained Homan.

While stock markets globally performing in much the same way as they had in May, investor behavior appears to have changed, according to the report. According to ING, nearly half of all Dutch investors refrained from trading altogether, while a quarter bought more shares than they sold.

Speaking within the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Homan pointed out that investor confidence will likely continue to fluctuate in relation to the way in which the public health crisis develops. "One day the stragglers will stand out and the next day when some corona fear comes back into the market, it is precisely the it shares that benefit the most from, for example, working from home and shopping online," he said.