View information release with charts and related data tables
Q1 2020 represents the first quarter in which the data are impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with the first known case in Ireland confirmed in late-February and the subsequent containment actions from mid-March. Thank you to the ongoing work of frontline workers at this time. Condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. This information release will focus on and provide first insights into Irish residents’ households’ securities holdings.
- The market value of holdings of securities and shares by Irish residents stood at €3,141 billion at end-Q1 2020, a decrease of 11.3 per cent over the quarter, largely accounted for by a €209 billion decline in prices of listed shares during the quarter.
- Holdings of debt securities stood at €1,854 billion at end-Q1 2020. Holdings of government issued securities were €734 billion (or 39.6 per cent), with UK Government debt accounting for €304 billion (or 41 per cent).
- Irish resident households held €8,090 million of securities with domestic custodians at end-Q1 2020. This represents just 0.3 per cent of the total holdings of Irish residents. These assets account for just 2 percent of household total financial assets.
Households
Holdings of Irish-resident households with domestic custodians was €8,090 million at end-Q1 2020, this is a decrease of 18.9 per cent compared to the prior quarter driven by €1.5 billion decline in listed shares market value. Household holdings are predominately in listed shares (61 per cent) with investment fund shares and debt securities accounting for 31 and 8 per cent, respectively.
Listed shares held by Irish resident households totalled €4,932 million at end-Q1 2020. Households overall had negative net transactions of €7 million, but when looking at a security by security level breakdown, the top 3 positive net transactions were within pharmaceutical companies closely linked to early vaccine developments. Irish households hold listed shares in companies that are resident in Ireland with €2,189 million exposure at end Q1 2020 (Chart 2).
Focusing on investment funds, €2,542 million were held by Irish resident households of which €767 million were exchange-traded funds (ETFs) (Chart 3). This provides an update on a previous Behind the Data on household holdings of ETFs.
Further information
The data and explanatory notes can be accessed here.
Media Relations media@centralbank.ie / 01 224 6299
Ewan Kelly ewan.kelly@centralbank.ie / 086 463 9652
