Washington, D.C. - Individual investors' confidence in the U.S. capital markets is stabilizing this year after dropping precipitously between 2007 and 2008, according to a survey by the Center for Audit Quality.
Seventy-three percent of the 1,000 investors surveyed in recent weeks expressed confidence in the U.S. capital markets, a three-percentage-point increase from last year, but within the survey's margin of error.
Respondents' confidence in investing in U.S. public companies held steady at 75 percent. Confidence in audited financial statements released by public companies declined slightly, however, to 70 percent, down three points.
Investors are divided on how much longer the recession will last. Half of the respondents believe that it will end in the next year, and half think it will go on for at least two more years. Investors continue to adapt, with 61 percent saying that they have changed their investment behavior in the last six months, roughly the same as last year (60 percent).
