16,000 Swedes own SpaceX shares – most are men

A notable trend in Swedish investment shows that around 16,000 individuals, overwhelmingly men, have acquired shares in Elon Musk's burgeoning space exploration company, SpaceX. These shares were made available to Nordic retail investors through the online brokerage Nordnet, with the initial offering price set at $135 per share. By Wednesday, the stock value had climbed to $194.

Nordnet reported that as of Wednesday, 16,000 Swedish clients held SpaceX stock. The largest shareholder demographic is the 30-49 age group, which constitutes nearly half of these investors. Within this group, a striking 14 percent are women, while 86 percent are men. The second-largest age bracket is 50-64 years old, representing 30 percent of Swedish SpaceX shareholders, followed by those aged 65 and older at nearly 15 percent, and the youngest group, 18-29 years old, at 10 percent. These older and younger demographics also show a similar gender disparity.

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It is possible that Elon Musk and space are two variables that attract the male gender to a greater extent than the female, but I believe above all that it is about behaviors at stock market introductions.

Carl-Henrik Söderberg, chief economist at Nordnet, suggested that while Elon Musk and the allure of space exploration might appeal more to men, the gender gap in initial public offerings (IPOs) is likely influenced by broader investment behaviors. He observed that men tend to be more active participants in IPOs compared to women, although he noted that customers generally exhibit high engagement regardless of gender.

Including other Nordic countries, Nordnet's total client base holding SpaceX shares reaches approximately 45,000. This widespread investment indicates significant interest in SpaceX among Scandinavian retail investors, albeit with a pronounced male dominance.

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But when it comes to stock market introductions specifically, my picture is that more men are active here.