Investment - Articles - Investors show strong appetite for technology stocks

  
 Barclays Stockbrokers clients have named the top technology stocks that are candidates for their portfolios and have revealed their appetite for investing in the sector. The research from the UK's largest online execution-only stockbroker shows that the majority of clients named Apple as their top technology stock.
 
 When asked which technology companies they favour as candidates for their portfolio, the majority of respondents voted in favour of electronics giant Apple (57%). This is reflected in client trading trends, as Apple has proved the most popular purchase on the Barclays Stockbrokers International Trader platform since it launched in January 2011*. Google came second in the poll, with 11% of investors expressing their interest in the search engine. Meanwhile, 10% of clients confirmed they would be interested in investing in Facebook and Twitter if/when they float, and Cisco Systems, the US computer networking company, came fourth with 8% of the vote.
 
 Barclays Stockbrokers clients also revealed their appetite for investing in the global technology sector.  Almost two thirds (63%) of respondents said technology stocks are on their investment radar; 18% already hold them in their portfolio, and 26% are interested in investing in them. One in five (19%) are currently monitoring the sector.
 
 Paul Inkster, Head of Product, Barclays Stockbrokers, said: "Investing in technology has been a popular trend for some time and the investment demand for this sector is strong among our clients. Investment opportunities in stocks such as Apple remain on the radar for investors and the majority of our clients who responded to this survey are interested in the sector.
 
 "For those interested in investing in the technology sector, the Barclays Stockbrokers International Trader platform is ideal for self-directed clients who want to pick their own stocks and seek out opportunities in global markets."
 
 Barclays Stockbrokers recently added five new markets to its International Trader platform: Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark and Norway. With the new market additions, investors can now access over 12,000 stocks on 26 major global exchanges across 18 international markets. The platform is supported by market-leading global research and real-time pricing. To ensure investors have everything they need at their fingertips, Barclays Stockbrokers International Trader also offers market news streamed live from Dow Jones and Market News International, and charting and analytical tools.
 
 For those markets not covered by International Trader, such as some of the emerging economies, investors can achieve exposure using existing methods, such as ETFs, managed funds and CFDs / FST.