Australians are busy Googling technology companies to buy shares in, according to new research.
The study commissioned by investor education provider Invezz.com found that 9 out of the 10 most-searched stocks are in the tech sector.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) was the most-searched share among Australians, seeing an average monthly search volume of 79,800 over the last 12 months.
The result is perhaps not surprising, with the electric car maker's shares going gangbusters this year. It started 2020 at US$86.05 but is now US$574 — multiplying 6.7-fold in just 11 months, during a pandemic year no less.
In fact, The Motley Fool reported this week that there are now more Tesla shareholders in Australia than people who actually own the company's cars.
The only ASX share Australians are interested in
Zero-brokerage trading platforms for US shares have apparently shifted Australian investors' attention overseas. The only ASX-listed company to feature in the top 10 was Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT).
The buy now, pay later provider's shares have also been on a wild uphill ride.
The Afterpay share price sat at $8.90 during the bottom of the COVID-19 crash, but is now hovering around $96. It has broken the $100 ceiling several times in recent weeks.
| Rank | Company | Average online monthly search volume |
| 1 | Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) | 79,800 |
| 2 | Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) | 44,900 |
| 3 | Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) | 34,800 |
| 4 | Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) | 21,000 |
| 5 | Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) | 20,000 |
| 6 | Boeing Co (NYSE: BA) | 13,900 |
| 7 | Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) | 13,300 |
| 8 | Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER) | 8,500 |
| 9 | Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) | 4,500 |
| 10 | NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) | 3,900 |
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Statistics from November 2019 to October 2020 collected by Ahrefs.com |
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The only non-technology share in the top 10 was Boeing Co (NYSE: BA).
The aerospace company has had a turbulent couple of years with well-publicised accidents in its new 737 MAX plane and COVID-19 killing the aviation industry.
The share price reached US$440 in March last year just before the manufacturer grounded the 737 MAX. It then sunk to US$95.01 in March as flying became a distant memory.
Boeing stocks have climbed well this month in anticipation of coronavirus vaccines to sit currently at US$217.61.
Australians want knowledge before diving into shares
The study also asked more than 1,700 Australians who did not own shares what would encourage them to buy some.
Almost three-quarters said more knowledge of what they're investing in would get them over the line. Cutting down on personal expenses to free up more cash was the big concern for 65% of respondents.
A fear of risk was also a factor that caused hesitation. An acceptance of those risks would get 62% to buy their first shares, while 34% would take the leap if they were less afraid of negative market forecasts.
