• News

Continental investors leapfrog UK counterparts in online broking

Despite its developed equity culture, the UK lags behind the rest of Europe in internet trading

The UK has long been considered a more developed and sophisticated equity culture than the rest of Europe. The Continent, however, has leapfrogged the UK when it comes to the internet - UK investors have not been as adventurous as their German and French counterparts in trading online.

Naturally, stamp duty can take some of the blame, but UK investors' reluctance to embrace the new cyberspace trend goes much deeper than legislation. The greater UK investment in home ownership, coupled with a preference for discretionary advice...