This is the seventh year Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) has conducted our Investor Confidence survey, seeking the views of more than 1,500 retail investors in Australia and New Zealand, to discover how they are dealing with the continued uncertainty in the market.

This survey offers a valuable lens into investor sentiment, helping assess the resilience and transparency of financial markets. The insights we gather not only inform our profession but also guide the broader corporate ecosystem in ensuring investors have the clarity and assurance they need to make their decisions.

In New Zealand, retail investors have regained some of the confidence they’d lost in local markets, but confidence still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. The global political landscape has overtaken inflation as the biggest perceived threat to the New Zealand economy and confidence in overseas markets falling.

In Australia, the good news is that the confidence of retail investors in local markets has continued to grow, but Australians, like New Zealanders, have lost confidence in overseas markets and are concerned about the impact of global politics on Australia’s economy. 

Despite the concerns about what’s happening outside Australia and New Zealand, more than half of the investors in both countries said they would be looking to increase their investments in the next 12 months.

Investor confidence in the audited financial reports produced by public companies remains strong. For the seventh year, independent auditors retain their position as the most trusted group when it comes to investor protection and market integrity, followed closely by analysts, stock exchanges and regulators. 

This year we asked investors about their use of AI in helping make their investment decisions. Nearly half of Australian investors and over a third of New Zealand investors have used AI, with younger investors and men more likely to turn to the technology. But there’s still a lack of trust in the information AI provides, with the majority of investors preferring other sources of information. This need for trust highlights the importance of high quality audited financial information to the market.

The resilience of investor confidence, despite the global challenges, highlights the importance of auditors, regulators, standard setters, and financial statement preparers in supporting informed decision-making. At CA ANZ, we are deeply committed to ensuring retail investors continue to receive high-quality, reliable, and transparent financial information that meets their needs and strengthens Australia’s markets and economy.