[Elsha]

Investors in the Asia-Pacific region, dominated by Hongkongers, lead the world in terms of risk appetite and tolerance of volatility, and are keeping a large share of their portfolios in stocks, according to surveys by Nielsen.

Around 73% of the investors polled in the Asia-Pacific region said they had invested in stocks, while just 54% said they had invested in mutual funds. In contrast, 67% of North American investors said they had invested in stocks, compared with 57% who had invested in mutual funds.

At the same time, 56% of the Asia-Pacific investors said they are willing to accept fluctuations of more than 10% in the value of their holdings, compared with 50% in North America, 44% in Europe and just 38% in Latin America.