KEY POINTS:
New Zealand investors have fared well in comparision to their counterparts in other Asia-Pacific nations in a survey about confidence in the economy.
ING, the global financial services group, today released data from its Investor Dashboard Sentiment Index showing that confidence has taken a 39 per cent plunge across Asia Pacific in the last year.
The survey represents a snapshot of investor sentiment conducted across 13 markets in Asia Pacific.
New Zealand investors have recorded a score of 96 out of 200. That represents a 16 per cent drop in confidence since Q3 2007, when they scored 114, but its up from its low point of 90 in the first quarter of this year.
New Zealand currently has the fourth highest score of all countries surveyed.
The New Zealand score has risen above the average for the whole region (86), for the first time.
The survey confirms that volatile market conditions and the credit crisis in the USA and Europe continue to weigh heavily on Asia Pacific investors.
Hong Kong and China, in particular, show some of the largest falls for the year.
"Instability in the markets as a result of the credit crisis and the economic slowdown that is now spreading throughout the globe, is continuing to cause serious concern for investors", said ING's Steven Giannoulis, "but in New Zealand investors are demonstrating a significant level of calm and caution in their decisions.
"Local investors are less pessimistic than last quarter and than the region as a whole, with scores improving on key questions of economic performance and personal circumstances", he said.
Check out the survey data on ING's website.
