This past week, Trading Central launched its first Digital Wealth Webinar—The New Realities of Online Investing: US Online Investing Report with Investment Trends.
Hosted by Gary Christie from Trading Central and featuring Brian Chong from Investment Trends, the session explored the key findings from Investment Trends’ 2025 Online Investing Report to uncover shifts in investor behaviour, sentiment, and expectations, highlighting opportunities for brokerages to stay ahead of the industry curve.
While the pandemic saw an influx of young first-time investors, we have since seen the demographics of investors and active traders matured. Today’s investor profiles skew older and towards higher wealth levels. Brian also noted the growth of the active trader cohort, which makes up only 15% of online investors but 67% of retail trade volume.
Despite the complex geopolitical landscape, the report finds investor sentiment cautiously optimistic, especially among new online investors. This sentiment is reflected in the increased number of equity investors in the United States in 2025, indicating a possible shift in market momentum.
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Besides low fees, an easy to use website is now among the top criteria for investors to choose a brokerage. Other areas that brokers can differentiate themselves with include mobile experience, choice of tradable assets, and onboarding experience. Besides, Gary noted a decrease in the importance of banking relationships compared to the last few years.
AI adoption is highest among active traders. Investors are using AI for education and market analysis, as well as trade automation. According to Brian, AI helps investors distill vast waves of information and news in a clear, digestible way. Investors who adopted AI self-reported an increase in trading frequency, trade volume, and confidence.
Switching brokerages has fallen to a 6-year low, with platform-related issues being the leading cause of churn. This trend creates a low inflow of customers switching from another broker, making it now imperative for brokers to keep existing customers satisfied and engaged.
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Discover Brian’s insights on how brokerages can boost client acquisition, engagement, and retention.
Digital Wealth Webinars are a series of live events where industry experts come together to discuss the emerging forces shaping today’s digital wealth landscape. Learn more.
