Opens in a new tab

Breaking news

Greek Retail Investors Embrace ETFs And Domestic Stocks, Report Finds

Greece’s retail investment market is expanding beyond wealthy households, with younger people, employees and self-employed professionals increasingly investing from modest incomes, according to data from Wealthyhood.

The report found that the median investor age is 34, with 34% under 30 and 31% aged 35 to 44. Women account for around one in six investors but recorded higher annualised returns than men, at 23.8% compared with 20.9%. Wealthyhood identified increasing women’s participation as a key challenge for the market.

Participation also extends across income groups: 58% of investors earn less than €20,000 annually, while 66% work full-time and 17% are self-employed.

The platform’s users span 458 towns across 73 of Greece’s 74 regional units. Attica accounts for 51% of investors, while 49% live elsewhere. Thessaloniki follows with 11.7%, ahead of Patras, Heraklion, Chania, Larissa and Volos.

ETFs Remain The Main Entry Point

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are the most common first investment, chosen by 56% of new users. Their appeal lies in diversification, allowing investors to gain exposure to a basket of stocks through a single purchase.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF was the most popular first investment, selected by 18% of new Greek investors. The S&P 500 also ranks as the platform’s most popular investment overall, while NVIDIA is the leading individual stock across generations.

Trading activity peaks between 5pm and 6pm, around the opening of US markets, suggesting many users invest after work. Weekdays account for 91% of orders, compared with 9% at weekends. Personal recommendations also influence decisions, with 23% of investors saying they started investing after advice from friends.

Greek Shares Attract More Investors

Since Greek stocks became available on the platform in July, one in five investors has added Greek shares or ETFs to their portfolios. According to the report, Greek equities and ETFs accounted for 21% of every euro invested during the period. Public Power Corporation (PPC) also became the platform’s eighth most popular stock of the year within three months of its introduction.

The figures suggest that easier digital access is encouraging investors to consider domestic companies alongside international markets.

Investor behaviour during the March 2026 market sell-off also pointed to resilience. Wealthyhood users bought €1.82 worth of investments for every €1 sold, while almost half of Greek investors did not sell any holdings.

Returns Favour A Long-Term Approach

Overall, 82.8% of investors recorded positive returns, with an average annualised return of 21.1%. Less active investors performed better than those who traded more frequently: those making fewer transactions and avoiding sales achieved annualised returns of 23.3%, compared with 18.5% among more active traders.

The findings suggest that frequent trading did not translate into stronger returns for the platform’s users, many of whom appear to favour a longer-term approach.

Wealthyhood identified five key trends in its first year of data: broader access to investing, long-term investment habits, resilience during market volatility, growing interest in Greek equities and positive returns across much of its user base.

Together, the findings point to a shift in Greek retail investing towards smaller starting amounts, ETF-led diversification and greater participation in domestic stocks. Wealthyhood said it plans to use anonymised user data to contribute to wider discussions about investment behaviour, including how retail investors respond to market uncertainty.

Cyprus Government Surplus Rises To €1.61 Billion In First Nine Months Of 2026

Cyprus recorded a general government surplus of €1.61 billion in the first nine months of 2026, equal to 4.0% of gross domestic product, as revenue growth outpaced the rise in public spending. Higher receipts from income taxes, social contributions and value-added tax (VAT) drove the improvement, while lower capital expenditure helped restrain spending.

Preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Statistical Service of Cyprus show the surplus rose to €1.17 billion, or 3.0% of GDP, up from € 442.1 million in the same period of 2025.

Total government revenue increased 6.5% to €12.09 billion, while expenditure rose 2.9% to €10.48 billion.

Key Fiscal MeasureJanuary–September 2025January–September 2026
Total revenue€11,353.9 million€12,091.8 million
Total expenditure€10,186.2 million€10,482.1 million
Government surplus€1,167.6 million€1,609.7 million
Surplus as a share of GDP3.0%4.0%

Income Taxes And VAT Lead Revenue Growth

Taxes on income and wealth made the largest contribution to the increase in revenue. Receipts in this category climbed by €442.2 million, or 15.3%, to €3.34 billion, compared with €2.89 billion a year earlier.

Social contributions rose by €235 million, or 6.6%, to €3.78 billion. Taxes on production and imports increased by €251.5 million, or 7.2%, reaching €3.77 billion.

Net VAT receipts, after refunds, totalled €2.64 billion, up €293.1 million, or 12.5%, from €2.35 billion in the first nine months of 2025.

Some Revenue Streams Decline

Not all revenue categories moved higher. Capital transfers fell by €74.6 million to €96.7 million, while current transfers declined by €71.6 million, or 20.5%, to €278.2 million.

Revenue from services slipped 1.0% to €743.5 million. Interest and dividend receipts dropped by €37 million, or 28.6%, to €92.4 million.

Social Benefits And Personnel Costs Increase

On the expenditure side, social benefits rose by €199.6 million, or 4.9%, to €4.27 billion. Compensation of employees—which includes imputed social contributions and public-sector pensions—increased by €108.3 million, or 3.8%, to €2.99 billion.

Intermediate consumption, covering goods and services used in the delivery of public services, rose by €114.3 million, or 11.0%, to €1.16 billion. Interest payments increased by €8.7 million, or 2.6%, to €340.7 million. Current transfers were up €68.7 million, or 10.6%, at €714.7 million.

Lower Capital Spending Limits Expenditure Growth

The overall increase in spending was tempered by a decline in capital expenditure. Capital-account spending fell by €189.9 million, or 16.9%, to €936.2 million from €1.13 billion in the same period last year.

Investment in fixed capital declined by €94.1 million, or 12.1%, to €686.4 million. Other capital transfers fell by €95.8 million, or 27.7%, to €249.8 million. Subsidies also decreased, dropping by €13.9 million, or 15.5%, to €75.8 million.

Uol
eCredo
Aretilaw firm
The Future Forbes Realty Global Properties

Become a Speaker

Become a Speaker

Become a Partner

Subscribe for our weekly newsletter