Global investor confidence has remained positive, according to an index that measures it.
Despite a decline in January driven by North American sentiment, Asian investors saw increased risk appetite, keeping the State Street Global Investors Confidence Index (ICI) above 100.
International investors registered a reading of 100.7 – a decline of 3.8 points from December’s revised reading of 104.5.
As the index remained above 100, it means global investors overall are buying more risk assets than selling.
Both the European ICI and Asian ICI have increased, with the index rising 7.1 points to 94.8 in Europe, while Asia led the way in terms of risk appetite with a score of 115.9.
Marvin Loh, senior macro strategist at State Street Global Markets, said: “Vaccine rollouts and the prospect of additional stimulus in the US provided a supportive backdrop for risk to start the year. However, increases in the number of new Covid cases and uneven vaccination rollout efforts have hindered further gains, with regional changes reflecting these differences.”
He highlighted the contrast between North America and Asia confidence, pointing out how Asia has been buoyed by a more rapid return to economic expansion compared to western countries.
“The pace and efficacy of vaccine efforts over the coming months will certainly set the tone for investors at the start of this new year.”
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