<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Young micro-investors are sinking their spare cash into shares after being locked out of the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/property" rel="" target="_blank" title="property"><span>property</span></a><span> market, leading economist Tom Piotrowski says.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Piotrowski said unaffordable property prices have made stock market investments an "attractive" choice for a record number of Australians aged under 40 as home ownership remains painfully out of reach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The fact that it has become increasingly difficult to establish a foothold [in the property market] has certainly contributed to the fact the ease of investing in the share market by comparison is more attractive," Piotrowski told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/first-guardian-master-trust-superannuation-lost-asic-investigation-exclusive/7a944ee1-faa0-40c0-8972-011f056c9fee" target="_blank"><strong><span>Christian, JC and Johanna are missing a combined $319k in super. They're not alone</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"You can see a pathway to building your wealth in a more incremental way rather than having to stump up with a very sizable deposit."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This month marks 30 years since Commonwealth Bank's online share trading platform CommSec launched in Australia and the economic landscape has undoubtedly changed enormously since 1995.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the mid-'90s, CommSec trades were done slowly by telephone and fax for $75 each and most investors were older, wealthier Australians.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/finance-news-commsec-economist-tom-piotrowski-says-property-market-luring-micro-investors-into-stock-market/1fdf9525-5075-4bf8-9bca-b8c280cd24b9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now, Piotrowski said, young people with various incomes are now using their smartphones to trade shares at lunch time hoping to build their "nest egg".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>CommSec data released last year found 2.9 million investors </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/young-australians-investing-in-recordbreaking-numbers/e450c847-8da6-4ac5-906c-83eccea31a82#:~:text=Y%EF%BB%BFoung%20Australians%20are,the%20investors%20on%20the%20platform." rel="" target="_blank" title="under the age of 40 made up nearly half of the investors on the platform."><span>under the age of 40 made up nearly half of the investors on the platform.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And according to figures from Finder, Australians have an average of $24,020 invested in shares.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This casual investing may be funded by inheritance or a small amount of disposable income, Piotrowski said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're in the midst of one of the largest transitions of wealth from the baby boomer generation to a younger generation," Piotrowski said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/queensland-warana-stabbing-entrepreneur-pays-tribute-to-husband-dead-outside-luxury-home/65278dbf-2242-4566-86bb-1dae583d2a57" target="_blank"><strong><span>Two teenagers charged with murder over deadly stabbing</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Some are fortunate that they might be able to get some help with a leg up to buying their first property because of that wealth transition, others perhaps might not be that lucky.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Investing in the share market is attractive to them from that perspective because they're coming into some money.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They might not quite have enough for a deposit.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"From that vantage point, you'd certainly be interested in looking at the share market."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The percentage of customers trading on CommSec aged under 40 has surged to 39.8 per cent, compared to just over 25 per cent in 2020.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>CommBank revealed the rate of women with share holdings has nearly tripled in the past five years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Piotrowski credits this with a rise in online financial literacy since the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There are a lot more female content producers now that are interested in the share market, and that's important in terms of creating a commonality with the audience," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's become far more mainstream than it ever has been and that is directly tied to technology and social media."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-says-cocacola-will-use-real-sugar-in-its-us-flagship-drink-the-company-isnt-confirming-that/c4c1a407-ce6e-4900-8872-8103946ff702" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump announces Coca-Cola will change its recipe at his request</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>CommSec's biggest day of trading in 2025 so far was in the wake of Donald Trump's tariff announcements on April 7.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Piotrowski said Trump's influence likely won't have much of a negative impact on investors willing to play the long game and ride the wave.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Yes, things are volatile, but volatility has always been a feature of equity markets," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"From time to time, you have seismic events that create big price movements. But it's a cliche.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The thing that protects you against that volatility is that long-term perspective."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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