Investment sentiment among wealthy New Zealanders is improving, according to the ING's latest Investor Dashboard Survey.
Despite the improvement, New Zealand has fallen to the bottom of the list of 13 pan-Asian countries surveyed.
Investor sentiment among New Zealand's private, high net worth individuals improved 25% in the second quarter, moving from "pessimistic" into the "neutral" range for the first time since September last year.
Among the 13 countries surveyed, India's investors are the most optimistic, followed by China. Australia saw a significant leap in confidence, rising to 10th place.
ING investment strategist Stuart Miller says the cautious approach by New Zealand investors may be a more realistic assessment of the current environment.
Mr Miller says despite the muted optimism among many investors, it's unlikely local sentiment will improve dramatically while doubts remain about the sustainability of the global economic recovery.
