Cape Town - Online investing has seen rapid growth since the
rise of the internet.
In Europe alone, online retail sales rose by 14% last year
to more than £50bn, with predictions of continued growth. In the US, online
investments accounted for almost 40% of all retail trades.
Online investing provides investors with an opportunity to
lower transaction costs at greater convenience and with control over their own
investments, all benefits that have contributed to fast and continuous growth
in the vehicle.
Investors participating in online investments are known as
individual investors, as they independently execute transactions.
Individual investors use online virtual investment
communities (VICs) to seek, disseminate and share stock-related information.
This type of stock-related information provides prospective
individual investors with the ability to make better investment decisions by
monitoring the decision-making of other individual investors.
The VIC platforms also provide a number of comprehensive
online financial services and tools to allow individual investors to manage
their financial interests through an integrated service.
To determine the effectiveness of VICs for individual
investors, as well as what characteristics are required by a VIC to ensure
member loyalty and in turn ensure commercial success, you are invited to complete
a survey questionnaire.
The questionnaire has been approved by the University of
Cape Town ethics committee. The collective findings will be captured in a
report that will be presented to UCT, and may also be published in an academic
journal or presented at a conference.
To complete the questionnaire, please click here.