More concerns about the Dutch economy
More than half of the surveyed investors (52%) see the economy deteriorating. In May, this was still 43%. Investors remain stable about their own financial situation: 27% see an improvement and 19% see a deterioration.
Value remains stable
Investors are positive about their portfolio. Two thirds (67%) saw the value increase, the same as in May. Over the past twelve months, this picture is stronger: 76% see growth. The share with a loss decreased from 15% to 9%.
After the decrease in the spring, confidence stabilises. The calm in the stock market does not mean that concerns have disappeared. Investors have mainly adjusted to the situation.
Simon Wiersma – Investment Strategist ING Investment Office
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Opinion"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"ASML again the favourite
ASML remains the most popular AEX share. In March, 17% still saw the chip machine manufacturer as the most promising AEX share for the next three months; in June this increased to 25%. Adyen enters the top 5 at the expense of ING.
| Most popular companies in AEX-index | |
|---|---|
| 1. ASML | 25% |
| 2. Shell | 8% |
| 3. ASMI | 5% |
| 4. Adyen | 4% |
| 5. BESI | 3% |
Outlook remains stable
Investors’ expectations hardly change. Almost half (47%) expect their portfolio to increase in value in the coming months, while 21% expect a decrease in value. Investors are also divided about the AEX. Around one third expect an increase (34%), while a similar group thinks the stock market will remain the same or decrease in value (28% and 29%). This division shows that investors remain cautious. Geopolitical developments play the biggest role: for 57% these are decisive for the stock market. The global economy follows at a distance, mentioned by 27% of investors.
More interest in emerging markets
Investors more often look for diversification outside the Netherlands by investing in emerging markets:
Within emerging markets, investors mainly prefer Asia and mainly choose to invest in funds or ETFs (exchange-traded funds).
Investors are looking for diversification and control. The growing interest in emerging markets shows that the focus is slowly shifting to diversification outside the traditional markets.
Simon Wiersma – Investment Strategist ING Investment Office
"}},{"componentType":"paragraph"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Since November 2002, ING has been measuring investor confidence among Dutch private investors with the Investor Barometer. This tool, developed by ING, uses nine questions to determine the index for investor confidence. The index runs from 0 ('very pessimistic'), through 100 ('neutral'), up to a maximum of 200 ('very optimistic'). The research is carried out by research agency Blauw Research, which conducts monthly surveys with a representative sample of over 400 Dutch private investors. Different investors are surveyed each month to prevent panel effects.
"},"title":"The ING Investor Barometer"},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Good to know"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Investing involves risks and costs. You may lose your investment or part of it.
This publication has been prepared on behalf of ING Bank N.V. and is intended for information purposes only. ING Bank N.V. obtains its information from sources considered reliable and has taken all possible care to ensure that, at the time of publication, the information on which its views in this publication are based is not incorrect or misleading. ING Bank N.V. does not guarantee that the information it uses is accurate or complete. The information in this publication may be changed without any form of notice. Copyright and data file protection rights apply to this publication. Reproduction of data from this publication is permitted, provided the source is mentioned. ING Bank N.V. is legally registered in Amsterdam, trade register no. 33031431, and is supervised by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). ING Bank N.V. is part of ING Groep N.V.
"}}]},"hasMacro":false,"id":"5c2a3903-900a-4e13-8002-4f8c44369605","localeString":"en-GB","mainHeaderZone":{"backLink":{"textLink":{"text":"Market news and views","url":"/en/personal/investing/market-news-and-views"}},"componentType":"productHeader","coreHeader":{"body":"1 July 2026 – Dutch retail investors were calmer in June than in the hectic spring. At the same time, they are looking more critically at the Dutch economy. More than half see a deterioration, while investors are more clearly looking for diversification outside the traditional markets.","headerImage":{"extension":"png","original":"https://assets.ing.com/asset/f6f921c3-131e-4f28-85f2-a3c0e8c100da/ING_BeleggersBarometer_down_NL_806x240_px_juni26_EN.png","transformBaseUrl":"https://assets.ing.com/transform/f6f921c3-131e-4f28-85f2-a3c0e8c100da/ING_BeleggersBarometer_down_NL_806x240_px_juni26_EN","type":"image","width":1075},"title":"Investor confidence stabilises"}},"publishDate":"2026-07-02T15:00:00.660+02:00"}}