Financial Web sites are the most addictive online destination for US consumers at home and at work, according to the latest Internet audience analysis survey from Nielsen/NetRatings.
January figures reveal more than 44 per cent of the active Web population visited a finance Web site last month, attracting nearly 51.6 million unique visitors.
On average, surfers in January spent more than 21 minutes browsing finance and investment sites, with males comprising 53 per cent of the total audience and females the remaining 47 per cent.
Financial Web sites with transactional capabilities, such as online trading and banking sites, lead the way as the stickiest finance and investment destinations, capturing the majority of surfers' time spent online.
Patrick Thomas, senior Internet analyst, NetRatings, says: "We are seeing the true adoption of the Internet as a resource consumers turn to in order to move money and monitor their financial holdings. As markets have matured, new features and services such as interactive planning tools and extended online bill payment have been integrated into consumers' lives."