Global investor confidence increased 8.7 points to 94.8 in February, as measured by State Street Global Markets' Investor Confidence index released Tuesday.
The increase was mainly driven by Northern American institutions, for which confidence increased 13.9 points to 99. A reading of 100 is neutral — investors are neither increasing nor decreasing long-term allocations to risky assets. The index is based on actual trades.
European institutional investors' confidence increased 2.8 points to 92.2, while Asian investors' risk appetite decreased 4.5 points to 85.5.
“The pronounced increase in North America investor confidence is noteworthy, as it represents a 19-month high for that regional index,” said Paul O'Connell, co-author of the report, and vice president and senior researcher of State Street Global Markets, in a news release.
