Trade war, economic uncertainty are making Asian investors more cautious, says RBC Wealth Management survey
- Of Asian investors surveyed, 80 per cent were ‘far more attentive’ to their portfolios because of the economic cycle
- Tariffs, trade policy a concern for more than a third of Asian investors
Asian investors are becoming increasingly cautious about their portfolios as concerns grow about the US-China trade war and uncertainty over the global economic outlook, according to a new survey from RBC Wealth Management.
Among investors surveyed in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, 80 per cent said they were “far more attentive” than they were in the past to their portfolios as a result of the current economic cycle.
More than half of Asian investors surveyed said global economic uncertainty was their biggest concern when it came to their ability to create, preserve and manage wealth, compared with 41 per cent of investors who responded in the Canada, the United Kingdom and the US.
About a third of Asian investors further cited cross-border trade and tariff issues as a concern.
“It is a challenge for investors across the globe to generate positive returns amid a global economic slowdown,” driven in part by geopolitical tensions and ongoing trade disputes, said Terence Chow, chief operating officer for RBC Wealth Management – Asia. “Given Asian economies are more exposed to trade than the US, it seems consequential that Asian [high-net-worth individuals] are the most concerned about global economic uncertainty.”