Institutional investors appear to have kicked off 2018 in a more positive mood, according to the latest State Street Investor Confidence Index for January.
The Index increased by 6.4 points to 102.1 with investors across all regions showing an improved appetite for risk, led by the European index which was up 16 points.
The Asian index was up 6.1 points and the North American index was up 1.7 points.
One of the developers of the index, State Street’s Kenneth Froot said global equities had seen their best start to a new year in three decades.
“Stocks are hitting all-time highs, earnings forecasts are rising, and positive earnings surprises have outweighed disappointments across global markets,” he said. “Given this backdrop, it is not surprising that global institutional investor confidence is showing signs of optimism.”
State Street managing director and head of investor behaviour research, Rajeev Bhargava said there appeared to be a sense of confidence in Europe after two years of subdued risk appetite.
