Overseas investment sentiment hits new high


Australian investors' appetite for overseas funds has spiked in the last month, with a growing proportion opting for multi-region investment, a survey shows.
October saw a 9 per cent month-on-month jump in Australian investors intending to put their money overseas, with 41 per cent of investors looking to do so in the next three months, the Certitude Global Investing Intentions Index suggests.
Not surprisingly, the majority of investors (89 per cent) remained committed to equities investment, according to the survey, with a much lower proportion looking to property (10 per cent).
Interestingly, there was a trend away from Asia and the US towards multi-region investment, as investors looked to spread the risk.
"What is surprising this month is that international funds covering multiple regions actually overtook Asia as the preferred option," Certitude Global Investments CEO Craig Mowll said.
"There are a couple of possible reasons for this. Economic data out of Asia hasn't been as positive as investors would have liked, with US markets still uneasy about the future… Investing in international funds gives them access to markets and regions that they may not feel comfortable about investing in directly."
The Certitude Global Investing Intentions Index is compiled monthly by Investment Trends.
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