Global investor confidence decreased 3.5 points to 101.4 in September, as measured by State Street Global Exchange's Investor Confidence index.
In a complete turnaround from August, North American investor confidence was the biggest drag on the index, declining 7.6 points to 104.5. North American confidence was down 1.5 points in August, while confidence figures for investors in Europe and Asia were both down more than seven points for the same month. For September, European confidence was up 4.7 points to 101.7, while Asian confidence increased 2.1 points to 95.3.
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.
“There is still a sizable but narrowing gap between North American and Asian investors,” said Jessica Donohue, senior managing director and head of research and advisory services at State Street Global Exchange, in a news release. “The fear of the Fed's liquidity withdrawal has had a disproportionally larger impact in Asia, where investors are also worrying about slower growth in China. With the worst of those fears yet to materialize, it will be interesting to see if this sentiment gap diminishes further next month.”
