Having interviewed around 2,700 people across the three regions in late July of this year, the Singaporeans – consistently the most optimistic group since the survey began in Q2 2010 – have dipped down, allowing the increasingly confident emirates to claim top place.
Meanwhile, the big picture disguises a lot of movement in attitudes to underlying asset classes in each region. Here are the more noticable trends:
Hong Kong
Gold remains the most popular asset class; equities are down for the second quarter in a row, as is property, which is at the bottom of the asset class table.
Singapore
Singapore shows almost the same patterns as Hong Kong – gold high, equities down for two quarters. Property has had an even sharper fall than in Hong Kong.
United Arab Emirates
Gold and cash are equal top. Equities are not popular, but they have held out – barely dropping in the last quarter. Bonds have been creeping up the confidence scale in the past 18 months, with just a slight dip this quarter. One dark horse is collectables, which in the UAE have slowly but continuously increased in sentiment, now beating equities and money markets.
