Schwab CEO says markets-savvy Gen Z joins dip-buying frenzy

It's a new generation of investors that keep showing up to buy U.S. equities at every pullback, according to Rick Wurster, CEO of Charles Schwab.

Younger investors, particularly members of Generation Z, are entering the market earlier and trading more actively than other age groups, he said in a sit-down interview on Tuesday. The cohort is about 45% more likely to begin investing by the age of 21 than millennials were at the same age, contributing to a sharp rise in trading activity on Schwab's platform, according to Wurster. 

"We've seen younger investors really engage in the market," the CEO said. "We are the most followed financial company on YouTube and have strong engagement on TikTok and Instagram."

Roughly 33% of new retail households joining Schwab are under the age of 30, while one in six new to firm individual-investor clients are under 24 years old.

They join a cohort of dip buyers that have so far been largely undaunted by a streak of market scares. War in the Middle East, swinging oil prices, and weak U.S. jobs data have all rattled investors in the past week.

Data from Bank of America out Wednesday showed historic inflows to single stocks from institutional and private clients alike: they shelled out a net $6.1 billion last week as the S&P 500 Index fell 2% over the five-day period — the 16th-largest ever inflow as a share of the gauge's market capitalization. Individual investors have become an important source of stability as the group's influence on Wall Street grows.

"Retail investors have learned not to pay attention to the noise," Wurster said from the sidelines of the Future Proof wealth management conference in Miami Beach, Florida. "They're seeing the bigger picture."

In fourth-quarter earnings, Schwab reported a surge in average daily trading volume as retail investors sought to take advantage of the end of a strong year for the stock market.

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The recent dip-buying could falter if economic fundamentals deteriorate, particularly if inflation resurges or the job market weakens enough to push bond yields higher and pressure equity valuations, according to Wurster. Geopolitical ructions, by contrast, have historically proved less damaging to markets.

"If something changes in the economy — on jobs or inflation — that could disrupt it," Wurster said. But for now, the economy remains stable, corporate earnings strong and the labor market solid, if no longer booming.

Schwab's stock, like that of many wealth managers many wealth managers, has been battered by artificial intelligence fears, falling more than 10% since the appearance of new AI tools. Wurster expects the industry to evolve rather than disappear. Client interactions on financial platforms could change to include "agentic" digital assistants that can execute trades, he said.

One thing that does give him pause: prediction markets. Schwab has little interest in offering prediction markets on its platform since they blur the line between investing and speculation, but the firm is open to one day offering prediction market results and odds as research information if client demand arises.

"There's a lot of other things that are more important than this, but at some point it's something we may do," he said. "But we're not operating a casino, we're trying to help clients live their best financial lives."