From cryptocurrency to stocks, market engagement is at an all-time high. In 2015, a Pew Research Center survey found that only 48% of Americans had heard of Bitcoin and just 1% had ever used it. By 2021, 86% of Americans reported they had heard of crypto, with 16% using some type of digital currency. And while engagement in the cryptocurrency market is seeing a steady rise, it’s still dwarfed by stock market participation. A recent Pew survey found over half of U.S. households and 88% of families earning over $100,000 own stocks. Amid this trend of increasing market participation, IM Academy, a leading online financial education platform, is stressing the importance of market research.
Millennials and Generation Z Value Market Research
Market engagement remains high across a variety of demographics, but participation is particularly high among millennials and Gen Z. These younger market participants are much more likely to hold cryptocurrency and engage in markets via apps such as Robinhood and Coinbase. According to a Motley Fool survey, 40% of market participants ages 18 to 40 hold some cryptocurrency, and 67% hold stocks.
Table of contents
While these younger generations are more often associated with social media, their market engagement strategies tend to emphasize research and stability over social media hype. The same Motley Fool survey found market participants ages 18 to 40 ranked historical stability as the most important factor in determining engagement strategy. Social media and influencers were considered the least relevant factors.
Clearly, younger generations are becoming more enthusiastic about responsible, stable market engagement, and with that enthusiasm comes a need for reliable market information and strategies. To meet this need, IM Academy is educating its students with strategies and apps that provide a well-rounded understanding of a variety of markets, including cryptocurrency, foreign exchange (forex), and e-commerce.
What Is IM Academy and How Does It Work?
IM Academy’s strategies and apps are organized into separate academies, with each academy offering detailed lessons on specific markets. Students can sign up for the Elite Academy for comprehensive access to all of IM Academy’s lessons and services, or they can choose to focus on specific markets by registering for academies such as DCX Academy for crypto, FRX Academy for forex, or ECX Academy for e-commerce.
IM Academy students can access lessons and apps at any time, using a laptop or smartphone via the IM Academy portal or the IM Academy app, and they’re encouraged to engage in IM Academy’s innovative GoLive online sessions, which feature live conversations with educators seven days a week.
Students learn about market strategies through readings and videos, while apps provide services such as recommendations of risk parameters and discussions of the quality and quantity of market engagement.
What Are IM Academy Students Researching?
IM Academy provides students with opportunities to learn about the markets that best fit their unique market engagement strategies. This could include more traditional markets such as stocks and bonds, or emerging markets such as cryptocurrency. All the academies emphasize a well-informed, self-reliant approach, but each offers different information based on the nuances of the markets they address. In addition to its comprehensive Elite Academy, IM Academy offers the following four academies:
- FRX Academy: This academy covers the forex market. Forex is the largest global financial market, at an estimated $2.409 quadrillion in value according to the most recent Triennial Survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The forex market involves exchanging foreign currencies, so students need to develop an understanding of a variety of geopolitical and international economic factors that influence currency values. Topics covered in the FRX Academy include institutional players involved in the market, market patterns and pivot points, and the impact of foreign monetary policy on currency values.
- HFX Academy: The HFX Academy covers high-frequency market engagement across a variety of markets, including currencies, bonds, metals, and stocks. High-frequency strategies took off in the mid-2000s, with advancements in computing power enabling a higher volume of exchanges. These high-frequency exchanges now account for 50% of volume in U.S. equity markets and between 24% and 43% of volume in European equity markets, according to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). IM Academy students learn about the market trends and strategies shaping this fast-paced approach to market engagement.
- DCX Academy: Engagement in the cryptocurrency market continues to increase, and the DCX Academy provides students with a thorough explanation of this growing market. IM Academy students learn what different cryptocurrencies are and how they’re used, as well as how their value is affected by trends and current events. Lessons cover topics such as the role of news coverage in digital asset valuation, how the blockchain works, and price gaps and market volatility.
- ECX Academy: The ECX Academy provides IM Academy students with an understanding of the e-commerce market, which the U.S. International Trade Administration projects will account for 22% of total global retail volume by 2024. Students who access the ECX Academy can study topics such as creating an online store, finding viral products, and social media advertising for an e-commerce business.
Striving for Well-Informed Market Engagement
IM Academy’s goal is to empower its students to base their market participation on well-informed strategies. As market participation continues to increase, IM Academy students are equipped with the necessary understanding to make confident, responsible decisions in a variety of markets.
Note: IM Academy is an educational forum for analyzing, learning, and discussing general and generic information related to markets and strategies. IM Academy does not provide personalized recommendations or views as to whether an investment approach is suited to the financial needs of a specific individual. Before deciding to participate in the forex or other markets, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk. Most importantly, do not invest money you cannot afford to lose. You should take independent financial advice from a professional in connection with, or independent of, research and verify any information you find on the IM Academy website.
Cryptocurrency-dominated investments may expose you to great risk. Cryptocurrencies are not FDIC-insured, are often not exchangeable for other commodities, are subject to price volatility, and have little to no regulation. Speculating in cryptocurrencies should only be performed by sophisticated investors who are prepared to lose their entire investment.
