Share Ownership on the Rise According to ASX Study

According to ASX study, 43 percent of Australians own shares and a quarter more plans to buy next year. The number has risen in the past two years, along with direct ownership.

A research by the Australian Securities Exchange shows $7.3 million adults owned shares by the end of 2010, which constitutes 43 percent of the population. This is up by 41 percent since the study was conducted in 2008.

Direct ownership increased from 36 percent in 2008 to 39 percent. Self-managed superannuation funds increased from 10 to 13 percent. In the same time frame All Ordinaries Index increased by 28 percent.

The rise in stock ownership enabled Australia to maintain its position as one of the leading share owners per capita worldwide, ASX said. A quarter of the respondents in the study said that they were most likely to buy shares next year, which is also up by 22 percent since 2008.

The research was done by interviewing randomly selected Australians over 18.