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Contact:
David Beasley
650-347-2220 x.132
dbeasley@briefing.com

Briefing.com Survey Finds That Trading Decisions Are Increasingly Based On Web Advice
Average Online Investor Is Affluent, Knowledgeable And Male

Burlingame, CA. April 21, 1998…Briefing.com, the only provider of live professional Wall Street analysis and commentary via the Internet, surveyed more than 400 account holders to gain insight into the demographics of the online investment community. The research, performed by independent firm Human Ingenuity, yielded some striking insights into the profile and behavior of the online investor.

The survey showed that only 30% of investors who use Briefing’s analysis and commentary service make use of a full-service broker. The majority (57%) choose an Internet discount broker, and 35% opt for a non-internet discount one. This finding suggests that investors are increasingly doing their own financial research online, rather than relying on a full-service broker for recommendations. Almost all are knowledgeable about finance: only 21% state that they are (relatively) new to investing. Almost all (92%) use Briefing’s information for personal investing, and almost a third (29%) also turn to Briefing professionally.

Account holders tend to use the service intensively: 82% visit the site more than once a day, with 65% visiting three times or more. Almost 40% spend more than four hours per week using the service, and the same amount of people trade six times or more per month.

Online trading proves to still be male dominated – 92% of interviewed users were male. Users are richer, older and better educated than the average Internet user – more than half are over 45, and 85% have a college or graduate degree. Investors’ incomes are high: 47% reported an annual household income over $100,000, with 25% over $250,000.

Briefing.com has been providing investment analysis and commentary via the Internet since 1995, when online investing was in its infancy. At the site launch, Briefing.com hoped to level the playing field for individual investors by offering timely analysis accessible from any computer with Internet access, and at 90% below the cost of similar information delivered via traditional quote terminals. The survey indicates that Briefing’s content of easily accessible insights by well-known industry experts has become a vital tool for individual and professional investors.

Briefing.com provides analysis and commentary in two different packages: Stock Analysis™ is an equities service geared toward individual investors ($6.95 per month), while Briefing Professional™ caters to the needs of financial professionals ($25 per month). This information is accessed by a diverse group of clients, including private investors and portfolio managers, stockbrokers, corporate treasurers, pension fund managers and mortgage brokers.

About Briefing.com
Briefing.com is an employee-owned company headquartered in Chicago, with offices in Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. Rated a “top site” eight consecutive years by Barron’s and three consecutive years by Forbes.com, Briefing.com is the leading provider of quality, live market analysis via the Internet.