Offshore investing appeal rises: Certitude


Australian investors' appetite for offshore assets jumped to a record high, according to the Certitude Global Investing Intentions Index (CGIII).
Demand for global investments, which rose by 15 per cent in March, rose a further 5 per cent in April, the highest level since the Index began in June 2013.
Chief executive officer of Certitude Global Investments Craig Mowll said weakness in parts of the Australian economy and an upcoming tough federal Budget were pushing investors, traditionally overweight in Australian equities, into offshore markets.
Geopolitical instability and its effects on global markets is not deterring active investors, who continue to see opportunities in international investment markets.
"While it is true that a number of investors expressed concerns about some of the big issues, including instability in the Ukraine and Russia, a slowdown in the Chinese economy and the possibility of another market crash, this clearly did not influence their positive outlook for international markets," he said.
Intentions to gain international exposure through actively managed funds rose by 7 percentage points to 46 per cent, while direct purchase of overseas shares rose 3 percentage points to 38 per cent.
Forty-one per cent of investors intended to invest overseas within three months, up from 37 per cent in March.
Investors seem to favour the US and North America, although this decreased slightly compared with March.
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