- Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) revealed as UK’s top investment search
- Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and AstraZeneca plc (NASDAQ:AZN) among top 20
Q2 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
The COVID-19 pandemic – and associated restrictions – have seen a rise in the number of Brits investing. And despite most UK restrictions now being lifted, it seems this trend is set to continue.
The Most Popular Investment Searches
With that in mind, ETX Capital has decided to find out exactly which private companies gather the most interest from the UK. Using Google search data, we can reveal the most common business investment search is electric car-maker, Tesla.
Tesla has doubled profits in the last year to £8.6 billion, selling 200,000 of its vehicles over the period. These impressive numbers come despite the company losing a reported £16.7 million on its bitcoin investment.
However, Brits clearly see the electric car juggernaut as the future of its roads, with almost 7,000 users searching for how to invest in Tesla each month.
| UK’s Top 10 Investment Searches | ||
| # | Company | Total Monthly Searches |
| 1 | Tesla | 6,820* |
| 2 | Amazon | 6,750* |
| 3 | Apple | 3,160* |
| 4 | Rolls Royce | 1,210* |
| 5 | Deliveroo | 880 |
| 6 | Brewdog | 880 |
| 7 | Disney | 710* |
| 8 | Netflix | 650* |
| 9 | Pfizer | 580* |
| 10 | Tesco | 480 |
The Top Three Most Common Investment Searches
Unsurprisingly, global tech giants Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) (6,750 monthly searches) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) (3,160 monthly searches) complete the top three most common investment searches. This comes as Amazon’s Q2 revenue fell short of analysts' expectations despite having a third $100bn quarter in a row. And with Amazon’s share price currently around five times greater than Tesla shares, the latter may seem a more accessible option for newer investors.
With a modest share price compared with Tesla and Amazon, and impressive Q3 figures, Apple still represents a popular investment among UK traders. There is speculation that Apple is set to release its flagship product, the iPhone 13, later this year – which is likely to impact trading as investors look to get in ahead of the expected boom.
It’s also evident that the pandemic has directly impacted the UK’s investment searches. Pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and AstraZeneca appear ninth and 13th respectively in the nation’s searches, suggesting the successful vaccine rollout has sparked an investment opportunity for some.
Pfizer’s revenue projections for its COVID-19 vaccine are expected to hit $26 billion this year. Similarly, AstraZeneca announced its annual profits have doubled in the wake of the vaccine rollout. With plans for booster jabs in the autumn and potentially even annual top-ups, some investors appear keen to make a profit out of the global medical efforts.
The pandemic’s impact can also be seen throughout the rest of the top 20 searches. Deliveroo and Netflix are among the companies that have seen a rise in demand due to social restrictions and also appear in the nation’s top 10 investment searches.
| UK’s Top Investment Searches (11-20) | ||
| # | Company | Total Monthly Searches |
| 11 | EasyJet | 480 |
| 12 | SpaceX | 430* |
| 13 | AstraZeneca | 390 |
| 14 | Cornish Lithium | 320 |
| 15 | Boohoo | 320 |
| 16 | BP | 260 |
| 17 | Genesis Technology | 210 |
| 18 | Airbnb | 210 |
| 19 | British Airways | 210 |
| 20 | Cineworld | 170 |
However, it’s interesting to note that EasyJet, Airbnb and British Airways also feature in this list. Despite strict limits on travel over the past year, including ongoing restrictions on international travel, UK investors evidently believe the sector is due a boost.
EasyJet experiencing a 337 percent increase in flight bookings earlier in the year suggests the pandemic hasn’t deterred keen travellers. And UK investors look set to take advantage of the industry recovery, with EasyJet alone registering 480 Google searches per month from those interested in buying shares.
Annie Charalambous, Head of Communications at ETX Capital, commented on the findings:
“It’s interesting to see which companies the UK is most keen on investing in. While Google searches are ultimately dominated by those looking to cash in on the ongoing success of tech giants like Tesla, Amazon and Apple, the rest of the top 20 makes intriguing reading.
The pandemic has clearly opened people’s eyes to the potential of pharmaceutical investment, but there are also some disruptive brands like Brewdog and Boohoo that budding investors predict will continue their current market success.”
Methodology:
Google Keyword Planner data was used to reveal the total monthly search volume for all UK searches for ‘how to invest in’, ‘how to trade in’ and ‘buy shares in’ searches from July 2020 to June 2021. The results were then filtered to leave only those that contained the name of a private business. The top 20 results by total monthly search volume were used in this article.
*Where a business appeared in multiple semantically similar searches, the total monthly search volume across all searches was added together to give a total figure. These are marked with an asterisk.
About ETX Capital:
ETX Capital is an award-winning trading provider with over 50 years’ experience providing expert support in financial markets. As a boutique broker, ETX Capital offers traders a personalised service and access to industry-leading trading technologies and educational tools. ETX Capital is a fully authorised and regulated spread betting and CFD provider, operating in over 5,000 global markets across FX, Indices, Commodities, and Shares.
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