Business Environment Profiles - Australia
Published: 20 March 2024
Number of stock market trades
385 Million
1.4 %
This report analyses the trend in the number of trades on the Australian stock market (measured in millions). This number includes volumes for equity trades, interest rate and hybrid securities, listed exchange-traded options, warrants, structured products and futures contracts. The data for this report is sourced from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and is presented in financial years.
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IBISWorld forecasts the number of stock market trades to rise by 4.1% in 2023-24, to 384.6 million. Trading activity is expected to recover in the current year, following declines in the previous year. Interest rate hikes and inflationary pressures subdued stock market trading activity, through raising the cost of borrowing, and limiting business confidence. A gradual improvement of trading conditions, including a stabilisation of the cash rate and an uptick in the value of the All Ords, is set to encourage trading volumes in the current year. Wider global share market volatility is expected to cause many domestic investors to hedge their investment portfolios with risk-averse mixes, or abstain from higher volumes of trading, limiting the rise.
Historically the number of trades has increased during periods of uncertainty, as evidenced by an increase of 86.7% in the number of trades during 2007-08, which is considered to be the onset of the global financial crisis. In March 2020, the ASX reported over 67 million trades took place during the month. This coincided with the wider global COVID-19 outbreak and media speculation surrounding a global financial and economic collapse. Surging commodity prices, and economic and policy responses to the pandemic saw the value of the All Ordinaries index climb to a record high in January 2022 benefiting confidence in the value of equities and supporting the number of stock market trades. Moreover, the low-cash rate environment that characterised the Australian investing landscape for some time, benefited interest in stock market transactions. Lower borrowing costs have facilitated business expansions by many firms, and allowed investors to finance higher volumes of transactions.
The ASX has capitalised on new technologies by implementing new trading platforms, which have decreased the cost of transactions and increased capacity. Over the past five years, increased accessibility and cheaper transaction fees offered by electronic trading brokerage firms have also significantly driven volume growth. The strength of the domestic sharemarket compared with sharemarkets in other developed economies (particularly those in Europe) and the weak Australian dollar over the past five years has generated strong interest for Australian shares from foreign investors, further fuelling trading volume growth. Volatility in the wake of the pandemic and subsequent cost-of-living pressures saw trading volumes fluctuate strongly in response. These trends caused many investors to refrain from higher volumes of trades during periods of uncertainty. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts the number of stock market trades to rise at a compound annual rate of 1.4% over the five years through 2023-24.
IBISWorld forecasts the number of stock market trades to increase by 8.6% in 2024-25, reaching 41...
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