The Population as a Participant in the Stock and Futures Markets: Expectations, Risks, Prospects

Abstract

The relevance of the article is due to the fact that the instruments of the stock and futures markets are currently considered by the population as an attractive alternative to traditional investments in bank deposits. This category of investors, which ten years ago did not have any noticeable weight on stock and futures markets, is gradually turning into active participants in the securities market, capable not only of ensuring the efficiency of the Russian economy, but also of overcoming market risks.

The subject of the study is the activity of retail investors in the domestic financial market during the period of tightening anti — Russian sanctions. The purpose of the work is to consider the specifics of citizens’ investment behavior, identify the main trends of the current period and factors contributing to the further development of the investor protection system and increase citizens’ confidence in financial markets. The article identifies the peculiarities of the development of the retail segment of the domestic market in the period 2022–2023, and on this basis it is concluded that the sanctions regime has caused significant damage to the Russian financial market, however, the degree of impact of the negative processes constraining its development turned out to be less significant than predicted by most researchers. The continuation of the regulator’s work in terms of developing additional measures to protect investors’ rights and improve financial culture, coupled with the implementation of initiatives by trade organizers and the professional community, will make it possible to counteract the spread of unfair trading and marketing practices, improve the investment climate in the country, and strengthen the confidence of private investors in financial market instruments and institutions.