Americans are banking heavily on stocks and real estate in the upcoming decade, according to the Franklin Templeton Global Investor Sentiment Survey.
Twenty-nine percent expect stocks to be the best-performing asst class, the survey of 1,049 adults found. And even though the real estate market is still struggling, 26% said they expect real estate to do well in the coming decade.
Most Americans, 73%, expect international stocks to offer the best opportunities.
The citing of stocks and real estate was followed by previous metals (18%), non-metal commodities (14%), bonds (6%), currencies (6%) and derivatives (1%).
Investors realize that stocks are a good investment over the long term, said David McSpadden, senior vice president of global advisory services at
As is often the case, men expressed greater optimism for stocks than women, with 35% of men pointing to stocks as the asset class most likely to perform the best in the coming decade, compared to 23% of women.
As for expectations for 2011, 65% of men expect the stock market to be “up significantly or slightly,” compared to 58% of women. And three in five Americans (59%) do not think they will be able to meet their long-term investment goals without investing in stocks.
Franklin Templeton also surveyed an additional 12,027 people in 11 other countries and found that Americans are more bullish on stocks over a 10-year investment horizon than their global counterparts.
In each of the other regions, people expect real estate to be the out-performer, with the largest percentage in Europe (33%). As for stocks, 18% of Europeans expect them to be the best-performing asset class in the coming decade.
Among Asian respondents, 30% expect real estate to be the best-performing asset class and only 20% expect stocks to outperform.
In Latin America, 27% point to real estate, and 17% to stocks.
