Singapore Investors Upbeat About Local Economy

Asian investors (60 percent) are among the world’s most optimistic about the economic outlook, ranking behind only Latin America (77 percent). Despite ongoing concerns about a global trade war, six in 10 Singaporean high net worth investors remain optimistic about the outlook for the local market, while Asia ranks second globally (60 percent) in terms of economic optimism, according to the latest quarterly UBS Investor Sentiment survey, released today.

A large majority (67 percent) of Asian respondents said a diversified approach to investing was how they expected to manage ongoing risks. According to the bank, Singapore respondents were particularly interested in opportunities in sustainable investing (53 percent), yield or income generation (56 percent) and thematic investing such as medtech, fintech (49 percent).

Global sentiment improved in the last quarter, with the share of investors planning to invest more growing to 46 percent, up from 42 percent, while the share of investors optimistic about the global economy remaining unchanged at 51 percent.

The survey, which polled more than 3,800 wealthy investors and entrepreneurs in 17 countries between June 3–July 6, shows Singapore investors cited the global trade war, cybersecurity and market volatility (all 53 percent) as their top concerns.

Among Asian investors, the top concerns were the global trade war (47 percent), the country’s long term competitiveness (43 percent) and cybersecurity (43 percent).