Investor sentiment in Asia up by 4pts

Here are 3 countries with the biggest gains.

According to a release, the latest Manulife Investor Sentiment Index in Asia (Manulife ISI), based on 3,500 interviews across seven Asia markets, showed an upward trend in investor sentiment in Asia, tallying with similar findings in parallel Indexes for Manulife Canada and John Hancock, Manulife’s U.S. division.

The overall Manulife ISI in Asia rose by 4 points over the same period, with the biggest gains in Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan. Canada and the US also rose by a similar margin.

Singapore shared in the trend, rising two points from 10 to 12 since March 2013. The Manulife ISI survey findings also revealed that Asian investors have more than 40 per cent of their assets (excluding primary residence) in cash, equivalent to 22 months of personal income on average – or 35 months in Singapore – the second highest in the region after China.