Bloomberg poll: investors optimistic on 2013 stock prospects

GlobalPost

Bloomberg just wrapped up its quarterly survey of global investors. According to Rich Miller and Simon Kennedy, investors are the most optimistic on the prospect for stocks relative to other asset classes since 2009, when the survey began.

Here are a few of its results.

• 53 percent of investors polled expect stocks to be the asset class with the highest return in 2013.

• 53 percent of investors consider the US economy to be "improving."

• 38 percent of investors believe the United States offers the best opportunities compared to other major economies (China, 31 percent; European Union, 22 percent; and Japan, 21 percent).

• Fears of a Greek debt default appear to have faded. Only 69 percent still sees Greece as likely to default (the smallest number since September 2010).

The results confirm several other indications of investor bullishness seen in January. Two weeks ago, investors staged one of the biggest pushes into equities of all time.

A Citi analyst even compared the recent rally in stocks to the rallies that led into the market highs of 2000 and 2007.

Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts are nearly unanimous in predicting that US stocks will advance around 10 percent this year, and Mohamed El-Erian seems poised to declare the "new normal" that has characterized the post-crash economic environment over.

In short, everyone seems to be coming around to the same view.

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