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• Typically tenacious Capricorns have highest risk score on eToro with fiery Leos just behind
• Traditionally loyal Virgos and sentimental Cancers hold fewer assets than other star signs
• Compassionate Scorpios most likely to over-index* on vegan stock Beyond Meat

Scorpios are the most cautious retail investors while traditionally tenacious Capricorns have the greatest risk appetite, according to data from the trading and investing platform eToro.

eToro segmented all of its global users by the signs of the zodiac before ranking them across different metrics (table 1) such as risk score, level of diversification (measured by how many different assets they hold) and ‘hold time’ (length of time before an asset is sold).

Scorpios, whose traits are said to include being intense and secretive, had the lowest risk score on the eToro platform. The eToro risk score is calculated using a number of metrics, such as the volatility of assets that a person holds in their portfolio. Libras, supposedly fair-minded but indecisive, also take a fairly cautious approach to investing, according to the data, ranking second lowest on risk score.

At the other end of the spectrum, Capricorns, renowned for being confident and driven, had the highest risk score on eToro, with traditionally fiery Leos just behind them.

Commenting on the data, eToro’s Ben Laidler said: “This financial astrology may seem like some fun pseudo-science but it is a real reminder that investors are human and that behavioural factors can be as important in markets as the macro-economic and company profit fundamentals.

“The data is also a reminder that each of us takes a slightly different approach to investing based on our goals, our risk appetite and the asset classes and sectors that we are most knowledgeable about. What’s important though is to ensure that you’re well diversified. Whether you’re a cautious Scorpio or a more adventurous Capricorn, having a balanced portfolio and making sure that you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket will always stand you in good stead.”

Table 1 shows how zodiac signs rank on eToro across various investing metrics

Despite having a higher risk appetite, when it comes to diversification, goal-oriented Capricorns scored well, coming top of the table, with Scorpios just behind them. Meanwhile traditionally loyal Virgos are less diversified as they are more likely to stick to fewer assets in their portfolio, as are typically sentimental Cancers.

eToro also assessed which stocks are particular favourites across the signs of the zodiac (Table 2) by looking at the companies that each star sign is most likely to over-index on. The data shows that compassionate Scorpios favour vegan stock Beyond Meat more than any other star sign, despite the firm’s poor share price performance over the last year. Meanwhile, analytical Virgos are most likely to over-index on financial services stocks Block and Berkshire Hathaway, while Libras over-index on luxury fashion stock LVMH.

Table 2 shows which stocks each sign of the zodiac is most likely to over-index on

Star signs and their investing traits

Aries (Mar 21-April 19)

Traits: Quick, competitive, insecure
Investing risk score: Medium

Diversification: Low

More likely to invest in: Aurora Cannabis, Xiaomi Corp

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20)

Traits: Loyal, dependable, stubborn

Investing risk score: Medium

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in: Lufthansa, Pfizer

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20)

Traits: Versatile, curious, impatient

Investing risk score: High

Diversification: High

More likely to invest in: Intel, Shopify

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22)

Traits: Passionate, sentimental, uncommunicative

Investing risk score: High

Diversification: Low

More likely to invest in: GameStop, Nio

Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Traits: Confident, fiery, dominating

Investing risk score: High

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in: Cenntro Electric Group, Plug Power

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

Traits: Loyal, analytical, self-doubting

Investing risk score: Medium

Diversification: Low

More likely to invest in: Block, Berkshire Hathaway

Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Traits: Fair-minded, gracious, indecisive

Investing risk score: Low

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in:LVMH, Walt Disney

Scorpio (Oc 23 – Nov 21)
Traits: Compassionate, intense, secretive

Investing risk score: Low

Diversification: High

More likely to invest in: Beyond Meat, Airbnb

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

Traits: Extroverted, optimistic, flighty

Investing risk score: Low

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in:Netflix, McDonald’s

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

Traits: Goal-oriented, tenacious, unforgiving

Investing risk score: High

Diversification: High

More likely to invest in: Ocugen, Asensus Surgical

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

Traits: Strong, dependable, detached

Investing risk score: Medium

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in: Rolls-Royce, Rivian Automotive

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Traits: Affectionate, wise, over-sensitive

Investing risk score: Medium

Diversification: Medium

More likely to invest in: Volkswagen, easyJet

About this data
This data was taken from the eToro platform on 4th October 2023.

*What do we mean by most over-indexed stock?
Most over-indexed stocks: For each star sign, eToro picked from the top six stocks with the maximum deviation between the star sign stock-holder percentage (i.e. the proportion of the zodiac that is currently invested in the stock) and the global stock-holder percentage, among the top 50 stocks.

About eToro

eToro is a social investment network that empowers people to grow their knowledge and wealth as part of a global community of successful investors. eToro was founded in 2007 with the vision of opening up the global markets so that everyone can trade and invest in a simple and transparent way. Today, eToro is a global community of more than 33 million registered users who share their investment strategies; and anyone can follow the approaches of those who have been the most successful. Due to the simplicity of the platform users can easily buy, hold and sell assets, monitor their portfolio in real time, and transact whenever they want.

Disclaimers:

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

eToro is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, in Cyprus by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in Australia and licensed by the Financial Services Authority in the Seychelles.

This communication is for information and education purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice, a personal recommendation, or an offer of, or solicitation to buy or sell, any financial instruments. This material has been prepared without taking into account any particular recipient’s investment objectives or financial situation, and has not been prepared in accordance with the legal and regulatory requirements to promote independent research. Any references to past or future performance of a financial instrument, index or a packaged investment product are not, and should not be taken as, a reliable indicator of future results. eToro makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication.

Regulation and License numbers
Europe

eToro (Europe) Ltd, is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC) under licence number 109/10. Registered in Cyprus under Company No. HE 200585.

Billionaire Bill Gates on Wednesday denied conspiracy theories that accuse the tech mogul and philanthropist of wanting to use coronavirus vaccines to implant tracking devices in people.

Gates, whose foundation has donated millions to coronavirus vaccine and treatment research, addressed a poll from Yahoo News/YouGov survey that found 28% of U.S. adults believed a debunked conspiracy theory suggesting Gates planned to use a potential vaccine for Covid-19 to implant microchips in billions of people to monitor their movements.

“We need to get the truth out there,” Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said during an interview on CBS News. “I hope it’ll die down as people get the facts,” he said, adding that he wants to bring the coronavirus pandemic to an end.

There are no FDA-approved drugs or vaccines for the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 15 million people worldwide and killed at least 617,415 in more than six months, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. There are more than 100 vaccines under development, according to the World Health Organization, with 23 vaccines already in human trials.

In February, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said it was donating $100 million to vaccine research and treatment efforts for the coronavirus. It was announced as part of the WHO’s request for $675 million in contributions to fight the spread of the virus. In June, the foundation pledged an additional $1.6 billion to the Gavi vaccine alliance, an organization focused on efforts to immunize children amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We want to make sure we don’t have people dying just because they don’t have access to the vaccine,” Gates said Wednesday. “We will get a good deal on the vaccine, and we need the world to get a good deal on that. Many of the companies have committed themselves to that.”

Gates spoke on vaccine safety, saying he expects the Food and Drug Administration will do a good job of reviewing any potential vaccine despite the pressure to make one available to the public as soon as possible. Americans have concerns have a potential vaccine. According to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only about half of Americans say they would get a coronavirus vaccine if scientists succeed in making one that works. Among Americans who say they wouldn’t get vaccinated, 7 in 10 worry about safety, according to the poll.

Gates also said the potential vaccine will likely require two doses rather than one, potentially further limiting the number of people who can get vaccinated once a vaccine becomes available.

His wife, Melinda Gates, a billionaire philanthropist and co-chair of the foundation, said in May that scientists and health officials may find a vaccine that is effective in preventing Covid-19 by the end of this year “if we’re lucky.” Even if scientists do find a vaccine in record time, they would still need to make millions and eventually billions of doses of the vaccine for the general public, she said. There are more than 7.6 billion people in the world, and some of the vaccines under development require more than one dose, she said.

“We have never, never as a globe made a vaccine of this type before nor of this scale before ever. So this is not a quick nor swift process,” she said.

The S&P 500, for example, declined by over 30% between February and March this year – the fastest bear market from an all-time high in history. The bounce-back was equally fast, with the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 erasing their year-to-date losses in May and June respectively. This may seem counter-intuitive as the number of COVID-19 cases around the world continues to rise, and businesses and economies continue to suffer.

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman explained that the pandemic affects companies differently and large-cap companies with strong balance sheets are beneficiaries.

This rapid market recovery is driven by big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, which are now hitting all-time highs.

Ackman explained these tech giants make up a large percentage of market-cap-weighted indexes like the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, which explains the market recovery while economies continue to struggle.

“What the market does not reflect are small businesses, private companies and leveraged businesses that don’t have access to capital and the same dominance as the public market,” said Ackman.

He explained the markets are a snapshot of a part of the economy instead of the whole economy, which continues to struggle.

“If you had an index of smaller businesses, the market would be down 50%, 60%, 70%, or even 80%,” Ackman said.

Volatile markets

Over the past few months, market volatility has reached record highs, which Ackman said is because the market is a discounting mechanism.

“People’s estimates of the future have been very volatile, like how long the crisis is going to go on for or when will we go back to a normal life,” he said. “These things affect the input of the model that analysts are using to value securities”.

Another factor behind the volatility is that the market in the short term is a sentiment index – a way for people to express their emotions.

“There has been a lot of emotions in the short term. When that happens there is a corresponding degree of volatility.”

Ackman said he does not think the market is dramatically wrong.

Biggest international winners

The share prices of all the big international tech companies showed growth since the beginning of the year.

The biggest benefactors of the pandemic were Zoom, Tesla, Amazon, and Netflix. Apart from Tesla, the pandemic played perfectly into their product offerings.

The chart below shows how much money you would have now (the end of trading on 30 June) if you invested $1,000 in these companies on 2 January 2020.