BRITONS are shunning stock market investments in favour of keeping their money in deposit accounts, research shows. During the first three months of the year people expect to save more than five times more than they plan to invest, according to the survey for the Alliance and Leicester bank. They are putting an average of £123 into a deposit account and just £23 into shares. Overall, people are planning to save 35% of their disposable income each month. Men are putting aside an average of £145 a month and women £97. While the amount people are planning to save has increased slightly compared with the same period of the previous year, the amount they hope to invest has more than halved. Sarah Whitehead, product manager for investments at Alli- ance and Leicester, said: "It's encouraging that people are looking to save more than 12 months ago. "Despite a significant recovery in stock market performance over the last few months, consumer confidence is slow to return. "However, people should remember that over the long term, stock market based investments can provide more attractive returns than cash based accounts and should be considered as part of a savings and investment portfolio." The research also found that people are planning to borrow less than they were a year ago, expecting to go just £39 into the red each month, compared with an average of £54 a month during the first quarter of the previous year. The survey questioned 2,000 people. | 
