News round-up

Kiwi investor confidence leaps
The mood of New Zealand's high net worth investors has taken a major leap, according to ING's Asia-Pacific dashboard survey.

NZ investors have now moved into an optimistic zone for the first time since the ING dashboard was introduced two years ago, rising 41 points to 125 (out of 200). High net investors are defined as those with disposable assets or investments of US$100,000 or more outside their own home.

The upturn in Kiwi sentiment was the highest across 13 countries in the region, though average Australian investor score is higher at 143.

ING's report said that the positive scores from NZ investors throughout the survey point to strong expectations that the economy, both locally and globally, is on the road to recovery for 2010.