According to the figures of the 1st quarter of 2015 recently published by AksjeNorge (“EquityNorway”), a non-profit and independent organisation, the downward trend in the number of private individual shareholders in Norway is finally reversing.
And it is interesting to note that figures comparing investment trends from 2010 until 2015 show that although the number of Norwegian women investing in the equity markets is stable compared to men (about 30% women vs 70% men), the women's share of the portfolio is increasing steadily (21% in 2010, 23% in 2015).
Women are also generally more risk averse when investing in equity markets and pay attention to the profile of the companies they choose to invest in – with historical good returns both in terms of value and dividends – which is a good indicator to suggest that they have a more long term approach to equity markets than men.
The report also shows that women tend not to choose volatile shares to the same degree as men, which means their portfolio is less exposed to more turbulent markets, such as oil services related companies in which men are more active.
A summary of the report in English is available here.