UK investors turn to property amidst political uncertainty

UK investors are falling back on traditional assets as the ongoing Brexit negotiations and upcoming snap General Election on June 8th continue to create political uncertainty, peer-to-peer lender Kuflink has found.

The snap election and Brexit negotiations have impacted investors more than any other political event preceding it, creating widespread caution that has seen nearly 40 per cent of investors favouring ‘safe-haven’ investment classes.

Research commissioned across over 1,100 UK investors has revealed the asset classes investors are turning to, with 9 million investors across the UK turning to property investments due to its perceived strength in times of uncertainty.

Almost a third of investors (equating to 8.78 million people) stated over the course of 2017/2018, they would be directing their attention to traditional asset classes such as property. 

A further 38 per cent of investors said that they are currently less-inclined to pursue newer or lesser-known investment classes amidst uncertainty surrounding unfolding political and economic events – equating to more than 11 million investors across the country.

34 per cent of respondents to the Kuflink survey stated that Britain’s decision to withdraw from the European Union has drastically affected their investment strategies, especially for 18-34 year olds and those based in London.

The snap election on June 8th is prompting even greater caution, with 38 per cent of UK investors saying they would postpone any further investments until after the election results are made clear.

Tarlochan Garcha, CEO of Kuflink, commented on the findings: “The EU referendum has set in motion a number of political and economic shifts that are inevitably impacting the way the UK’s investors think and act. 

Today’s research has underlined the faith people place in property as an investment vehicle, with a huge number of investors gravitating towards this safe haven asset amidst the uncertainty caused by Brexit and the approaching General Election. 

There is undeniable investment value in retrospective data and historical evidence to support the strength of any investment class. For this reason, I have great faith in the resilience and strength of the UK property market and take confidence in the fact that UK investors agree.”