Spectrem Group's Affluent Investor Index declined significantly last month.
The Chicago research firm said Wednesday the index fell eight points, to minus-1, its lowest level since August 2006, but remained in what Spectrem considers "neutral terrain." The index measures the investment outlook of households with $500,000 or more of investable assets.
Spectrem's Millionaire Investor Index also fell eight points, to 7, slipping from "mildly bullish" territory to "neutral" for the first time since March.
In response to an open-ended question about the factor most affecting their investment plans, affluent investors last month cited housing and real estate (43%), interest rate increases (7%), the Iraq war (6%), the economy (3%), election results (3%), and rising oil/gas prices (1%).
Both indexes are drawn from 10-minute telephone interviews conducted monthly. The affluent investor index is based on interviews with 250 people, and the millionaire index is based on 100 interviews.
