ROCKVILLE, Md., May 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Advisor Confidence Index (ACI), a benchmark that gauges advisor views on the U.S. economy and stock market, reports that advisor confidence fell in May, with the index tumbling almost 12% from April levels to close at 97.83.
"This year the seasonality swing likely has lots of motivation to be in full motion," said Ken Graves of Capital Research. "The only real positive going forward over the next many months here in the U.S. is that Europe is a lot worse and China is getting worse—not the best outlook for growth, but where we are currently."
"With Greece and Europe about to implode and investors running for the exits and the safety of U.S. Treasuries, the 'risk-on' trade is 'risk-off,'" said Kenny Landgraf of Kenjol Capital Management LLC. "Why does an investor want to take risk?" he asked. "Just sit on the sidelines until the smoke clears—no one knows how a Greek exit from the euro can be orderly."
A graph accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/cache/17674/file/13985.pdf
All four components of the ACI experienced a decrease over the prior month.
| Current economic outlook | -14.55% |
| Six-month economic outlook | -12.28% |
| 12-month economic outlook | -10.46% |
| Stock market outlook | -8.31% |
A graph accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/cache/17674/file/13986.pdf
About Advisor Confidence Index's Methodology
The Advisor Confidence Index is a benchmark that gauges advisors' views on the economy. Modeled after the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, the ACI captures the sentiments of 150 independent registered investment advisors (RIAs). The index's analysis is based on the number of completed surveys and reflects only information from those surveys. This information is intended to be general in nature, and these overviews are no substitute for professional, legal, or consulting advice. This information should not be construed as advice from Rydex Advisorbenchmarking, Inc. or any of its affiliates.
About Rydex AdvisorBenchmarking, an affiliate of Guggenheim Investments
Rydex AdvisorBenchmarking is a research and analysis center focused on the registered investment advisor (RIA) marketplace. Every year through its survey website, www.AdvisorBenchmarking.com, the firm conducts multiple surveys of advisors, covering a host of business management and investment management practices. The findings and analysis of the data are then released to the marketplace as annual studies, quarterly research notes, monthly newsletters, and a confidence index. The service is aimed at helping advisors grow and enhance their firms by comparing how their businesses fare against other advisors. Advisors also learn best practices of the most successful advisors in the business. AdvisorBenchmarking is an affiliate of Guggenheim Investments.
