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Rare coins, whiskey and even Lego.
Brits are turning to niche investments during the coronavirus pandemic to help grow their personal finances to safeguard their future.
Property tops the list of the most popular alternative investments, with 9,900 online searches in May 2020, followed by gold with 4,400 online searches, according to research from social trading and multiasset brokerage company eToro. This shows no change year-over-year.
Read:Home builder confidence rebounds as property market shows signs of recovery
The social investment platform used Google GOOG, +2.57% AdWords to discover which traditional investments and alternative investments Brits are inquiring about most frequently online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has also been a significant amount of interest in rare coins (3,600 online inquires) and whiskey (1,600 online inquires).
At the same time, unorthodox investments have experienced a huge jump in year-over-year interest, with precious metals soaring 91%, and online searches for Lego, the colorful plastic bricks made by the privately held Danish toy maker Lego, rising 53%.
When it comes to regional differences across the country, Scots are thinking most about purchasing premium collectible whiskey in the hope it will yield favorable returns in the future. In the English regions of the South East and East Midlands, the focus has been on fine wine investment.
Read:Cheers! A single shot of this whiskey costs more than a Porsche 911 Carrera
However, stocks and shares are still the traditional investment options that Brits are inquiring most about, with 110,000 online searches in May 2020 — a 66% increase in year-over-year interest.
Bonds were the second-most explored traditional investment, generating 40,500 online searches. This is equivalent to 1,306 online searches for each day.
In third position are exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Online searches for ETFs in May 2020 amounted to 27,100, a colossal 124% rise from the same period last year.
However, Brits seem less interested in unit trusts and open-ended investment companies, with both attracting just 2,400 online searches in May.
“With many stocks available at discounted prices due to the COVID-19 induced market volatility, many British investors have been on the hunt for a bargain. The decline in interest in bonds corresponds to the sliding yields that are available at the moment for fixed income investments” says Adam Vettese, analyst at eToro.
