Profile of the Filipino Stock Market Investor (2018)

James Ryan Jonas

Who is the “typical” Filipino stock investor?

According to the Stock Market Investor Profile Report published and released in 2018 by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), the “typical” Filipino stock investor is a “Male from Metro Manila, aged 30-44 years old, earning not more than P42,000 per month.”

This demographic segment represents majority of Filipino stock investors, but for a more detailed analysis of Filipino stock investors in general, continue reading below.

Number of Filipino stock investors

In 2017, the PSE recorded total stock trading accounts of 868,810. It can thus be said that around 868,810 Filipinos are trading stocks.

This is such a low number compared to the total population, because this means only a very small 0.8% of the Philippine population are invested in stocks.

The good news, though, is that this figure already is a 12.4% increase from 2016. In the past, just a little over half a million Filipinos were invested in stocks. Among 868,810 stock trading accounts in 2017, around 97% were retail or individual investors while almost 3% institutional or corporate investors.

Gender

Males outnumber females in the Philippine stock market, but the number of female stock traders is slightly growing through the years. Here’s the gender distribution of Filipino retail stock investors in 2017 vs. the previous year:

  • Males: 54.6% (down from 55.1% in 2016)
  • Females: 45.4% (up from 44.9% in 2016)

Age

Majority of Filipino stock investors are 30 to 44 years old, consistent with the trend in previous years. This is followed by the 45-59 age bracket and then the 18-29 age bracket.

The actual percentages of Filipino stock investors by age bracket in 2017 are as follows:

  • 30 to 44 years old: 42.2%
  • 45 to 59 years old: 26.1%
  • 18 to 29 years old: 16.2%
  • 60 and above: 15.5%

Location

Where are Filipino stock investors located? Well, they are still predominantly from Metro Manila, but other regions in the country are starting to catch up. The location breakdown are as follows:

  • Metro Manila: 64.2% (down from 70.6% in 2016)
  • Luzon: 20.8% (up from 16.4% in 2016)
  • Visayas: 8.2% (up from 6.2% in 2016)
  • Mindanao: 4.5% (up from 2.9% in 2016)
  • Outside Philippines: 2.3% (down from 3.9% in 2016)

Income

By income, those earning P500,000 per year or less represent the big bulk, or 42.3% of all retail investors. Meanwhile, those earning annual incomes between P500,000 and P1 million represent 34%. Those earning at least P1 million per year accounted for 23.7%.

Converting the data above on a monthly salary basis, the distribution is as follows:

  • P41,666 salary per month or less: 42.3%
  • Between P41,666 and P83,333 salary per month: 34%
  • At least P83,333 salary per month: 23.7%

Online Stock Trading Accounts

The number of online stock trading accounts in the Philippines have reached 388,864 in 2017, a 28.5% increase from 302,516 online trading accounts in 2016.

Among online stock investors, 53.7% are aged 30-44 years old, followed by 18-29 year-olds with 22.5%. Those aged 45-59 represent 17.9% of online trading accounts, while those at least 60 years old registered 5.9% of online trading accounts.

In terms of annual income, 57.7% of online investors earn less than P500,000 per year, while those earning between P500,000 and P1 million accounted for 26.5% of online traders, and those earning at least P1 million per year accounted for 15.8% of the number of online stock investors.

As regards location, Metro Manila had 52.4% share in the online trading accounts, with Luzon accounting for 29%, Visayas 8.5%, and Mindanao 5.7%. Online stock traders based outside the Philippines represent 4.4%.

James Ryan Jonas teaches business management, investments, and entrepreneurship at the University of the Philippines (UP). He is also the Executive Director of UP Provident Fund Inc., managing and investing P3.2 Billion ($56.4 Million) worth of retirement funds on behalf of thousands of UP employees.