Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance UK · Aug 14
Women Beat Men in 3-Year Stock Returns, 50% to 47% as Trading Less Lifts Gains
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance UK · Aug 14

Women Beat Men in 3-Year Stock Returns, 50% to 47% as Trading Less Lifts Gains

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance UK · Aug 14

Summary

  • Women posted 50% cumulative stock-market returns over three years, versus 47% for men, equal to 14.5% annualised gains against 13.7%.
  • Twice as much trading by men is cited as the main driver of the gap, with more frequent buying and selling likened to gambling and likely eroding returns through fees.
  • 41% of British men invest compared with 26% of women, a participation gap that raises possible selection-bias questions around the comparison.
  • The report argues the findings still support a broader lesson for investors: longer holding periods and fewer trades may outperform short-term decision-making, even if a three-year window is not truly long term.

Insights

If women statistically outperform in markets, is it innate skill or just that only the most highly disciplined women dare to invest?
Are modern trading platforms secretly tricking active investors into gambling away their wealth to a tiny elite of sophisticated institutional bots?
Could the constant urge to tweak your portfolio be the exact reason you are secretly losing money to more patient investors?