Worker A has refrained from opening his mobile trading system (MTS) recently, even amid a sharp decline in semiconductor stocks. He fears facing the blue numbers in his account and believes it is better for his mental health to pretend his account does not exist until stock prices recover.
Individual investors are reducing the frequency with which they check their stock accounts. Since this summer, the frequency of MTS access among individual clients has noticeably decreased.
On October 20, an analysis of monthly personal customer data from a domestic securities firm revealed that the average number of MTS accesses per person dropped from 12.1 times in January to 10.9 times in February. It then increased to 12.2 times in March, 12.6 times in April, and 13.3 times in May, peaking at 13.4 times in June.
However, the trend shifted after June. The number of MTS accesses fell to 11.7 times in July, 10.7 times in August, and 9.5 times in September, marking three consecutive months of decline. This represents a 29.1% decrease compared to the June peak.
In contrast, the average holding period for domestic and foreign stocks among individual investors remained relatively stable at around 26 days. It decreased from 25.9 days in January to 23.4 days in February, then fluctuated to 26.1 days in March, 25.3 days in April, and 26.3 days in May. In June, it recorded 25.9 days, then increased to 27.0 days in July and 27.1 days in August. Although it slightly decreased to 26.2 days in September, there was no significant difference compared to June.
This suggests that investors are adopting a wait-and-see approach rather than actively trading. A financial industry official noted, "During the June rally, both MTS access and trading were active. Typically, when stock prices rise and profits are made, selling and repurchasing become more frequent, leading to increased trading activity."
He added, "When a downturn persists, interest in the market naturally diminishes. It appears that rather than completely withdrawing from the stock market, investors are finding it difficult to rotate their funds due to losses in their holdings, resulting in fewer checks on stock prices."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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