Key Takeaways
- • UK investors are reducing cash allocations, which now account for only 19% of the average portfolio, according to HSBC as reported by Investment Week on 29 August 2025.
- • The shift is directed toward gold and other alternative assets, with the cash allocation described as having been roughly halved.
- • Younger UK investors have reportedly tripled their allocation to alternative assets over the last 12 months, per a related Investment Week report.
- • Publisher context cites falling cash yields and lower interest rates as drivers for reallocating into fixed income, alternatives and gold.
Summary
UK investors are reducing their cash holdings, with the asset class now accounting for just 19% of the average portfolio, according to HSBC as reported by Investment Week. The article characterizes the change as a halving of cash allocation, with investors redirecting capital into gold and alternative assets.
The primary report is brief and does not provide a full breakdown of the HSBC data, including sample size, time frame or comparison baseline. Related Investment Week coverage indicates that younger investors in the UK have tripled their allocation to alternative assets over the last 12 months, and that this cohort is leading the move away from cash.
Publisher context on the same topic links the reallocation to declining cash yields as central bank rates fall. Investors moving out of cash are described as shifting into fixed income or alternative strategies, including gold, which has recently reached new highs. Alternative investments in this context are defined to include commodities, private equity and infrastructure. These points are general market commentary rather than figures from the HSBC research.
The primary report is brief and does not provide a full breakdown of the HSBC data, including sample size, time frame or comparison baseline. Related Investment Week coverage indicates that younger investors in the UK have tripled their allocation to alternative assets over the last 12 months, and that this cohort is leading the move away from cash.
Publisher context on the same topic links the reallocation to declining cash yields as central bank rates fall. Investors moving out of cash are described as shifting into fixed income or alternative strategies, including gold, which has recently reached new highs. Alternative investments in this context are defined to include commodities, private equity and infrastructure. These points are general market commentary rather than figures from the HSBC research.
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