Investor confidence is picking up again: ING

Investor confidence is on the rise again, according to ING's Investor Barometer, which it uses to gauge investor sentiment on a monthly basis. However, confidence remains low.

Investors expect the AEX to rise in the next three months and that this will also affect their own investments. Fewer investors also suffered losses in the past month. As a result, the mood is more positive than a month ago. ING's indicator of investor confidence rose from 69 points in July to 85 points in August.

However, investors have become more concerned about inflation. Only a quarter of investors have confidence in the measures taken by the European Central Bank to curb inflation. Confidence in the Dutch government is even lower: 78 percent of investors believe that the government is unable to address the loss of purchasing power.

Despite the loss of purchasing power, three quarters of investors are not yet adjusting their behavior. The group that does do this has started investing less risky. "We see that fewer investors have money left over to invest each month. The loss of purchasing power now seems to affect investors as well," said Bob Homan, head of ING Investment Office.

Although confidence is on the rise, the index is still far from the level it was before the war in Ukraine, when it stood at 107 points. A reading above 100 points indicates an optimistic mood, while anything below that indicates pessimism.