Asians tagged as world’s most aggressive investors in 2014

7 in 10 intend to invest in equities.

Asians are the most aggressive investors in the world and are the most bullish on equities in 2014, according to a comprehensive new global report on investor sentiment by Schroders. Almost three-quarters (74%) of survey respondents from Asia intend to invest in equities – a slight 3% drop from last year – versus 70% of their global peers.

Investors in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore are the most optimistic, with 88%, 86% and 81% of them, respectively, planning to invest in stocks this year.

They also top the list for having the highest confidence in local equities – 66% of Hong Kong investors believe Hong Kong equities will be the best performer, while 55% of Taiwan and Singapore investors, respectively, think their local stocks will deliver the best returns. On average, 45% of investors in Asia believe their home market equities will outperform, versus the global average of 41%.

When asked to compare with last year, investors in India (90%), Thailand (83%), Indonesia (76%) and Japan (76%) have expressed the highest confidence in investment opportunities in the year ahead.

The regional average was 66% – up 7% from 2013 – compared to 56% globally.This also explains their high risk appetite. Investors in Thailand plan to allocate 37% of their investments in high risk assets, followed by Indonesians (32%) and Hong Kong investors (28%).

On average, Asian investors are the most risk tolerant. Asians plan to put 25% of their investments in high risk assets, versus the global average of 20%.

Despite improvements in sentiment, Asian investors still named economic uncertainty on both global (24%) and local (22%) levels as their top concerns for this year, behind rising inflation (30%). In addition, 21% of Asian investors worry about tax increases and a property market crash, while 16% of them expect their salary to remain static this year.

Like a majority of investors in the world, nearly 40% of Asian investors said saving for retirement is their top investment goal and 36% said is for emergency use. But unlike their global peers, 27% said their investment is for protecting against rising inflation.

These issues combined may explain why gold and bonds are the second and third most popular investments amongst Asian investors in 2014, with 22% and 21% of survey respondents planning to invest in these asset classes, respectively.

If you've been wondering whether SBR could work for your company — yes, probably.

A lot of the companies we partner with started as readers. They'd been following our coverage for a while, saw their own customers and competitors in it, and eventually asked the obvious question: could we do something with you? The answer is usually yes. The shape of it depends on what you're trying to do.

The options are broader than most people assume — thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. Some partners use one channel; most use a mix. We figure out the right combination by starting with your brief, not with our rate card.

So if the question has been on your mind, here's the easy way to ask it.

We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia