Mutual fund, private equity and hedge fund managers are optimistic about American and Asian equities markets, a recent RBC Capital Markets survey shows.
The Toronto-based investment bank commissioned a survey of 102 investment managers from around the world. They invest an aggregate of $4.1 trillion - and they're bullish on U.S. and Asian stocks. Sixty-six percent said American equities would rise in the next 12 months, while 69 percent said the same about the stocks of Asian companies.
European stocks were seen as less favorable investments, though. Just 38 percent of the investors said European companies' shares would rise in the coming year, while 40 percent said they expected European equities to decline.
Even among American and Asian stocks, the investment managers were cagey about risk. Fifty-seven percent of survey respondents said the risk of investing in U.S. equities is higher now than it was a year ago.
RBC's findings are corroborated by recent growth projections from the International Monetary Fund. According to the fund, the U.S. economy will grow 3.3 percent this year, while economies in developing Asia should expand by 9.2 percent. The euro-zone, by contrast, is expected to grow by just 1 percent.
