Nearly 7 in 10 retail investors bet on semiconductor and chipmaker firms for AI gains as electronics exports nearly double

SINGAPORE: Nearly seven in 10 retail investors are betting on semiconductor and chipmaker firms to capture artificial intelligence-driven gains as Singapore’s electronics exports nearly doubled on the back of strong demand for AI-related products, Singapore Business Review reported, citing an eToro survey conducted by Opinium from May 14 to 29, which covered 11,000 retail investors across 13 countries, including 1,000 Singapore respondents.

Other investors were found to be betting on AI gains from large technology platforms integrating AI (39%) and AI-first companies (35%).

Investors were also found to have become more optimistic about AI-related stocks, with 51% expecting prices to rise, up from 49% in Q1.

Technology remained the top intended investment sector for the fourth consecutive quarter, with tech holdings increasing to 57% from 54% in Q4 2025.

The positive sentiment from investors came as Singapore’s electronics non-oil domestic exports (NODX) jumped 94.8% year-on-year (YoY) in May, following a 66.7% increase in April, driven by higher AI-driven demand for integrated circuits (ICs), disk media and personal computers (PCs).

According to eToro market analyst Zavier Wong, “The sector had a remarkable run, and that held even against a backdrop of tariff noise and geopolitical uncertainty.” He added that a visible pipeline of developments involving companies such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic later this year could continue to draw investor attention.

Notably, 36% of respondents increased their investment allocation despite economic uncertainty, while 58% kept their portfolios steady. Only 6% reported reducing their exposure.

Still, geopolitical risks remained the top concern among investors, although the share of those who viewed international conflict as the biggest external risk to their investments fell to 26% from 34% in Q1.

International conflict was closely followed by concerns over the global economy (25%) and inflation (24%). Only 35% of investors expressed confidence in the global economy. /TISG

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