Retail investorstrust global equity markets more than their own backyards, according tosurvey data released by Saxo Bank that polled nearly 2,000 clientsacross 11 markets between September 1 and September 14.Investors Show More FaithIn Global Markets Than Local BoursesThebrokerage's first InvestorForecast found 49% of respondents expect global equities to increaseor see a big increase in the fourth quarter, compared with just 35%holding similar views about their local markets. The pattern suggestsinvestors are looking past home-country bias, a behavioraltendency that typically anchors portfolios to domestic holdings.Saxoconverted survey responses into a sentiment scale ranging fromnegative two for a big decrease to positive two for a big increase, withzero indicating no movement. The results showed global markets scored0.26, US markets 0.14, and local markets just 0.03.Age and GenderShape OutlookThe surveyrevealed splits along demographic lines. Investors between 18 and 45registered the most optimism, scoring 0.38 for global markets and 0.26 forUS equities. The middle cohort, aged 46 to 60, showed the leastconfidence in local and US markets, while those over 61 expressed slightly morepositive views on domestic bourses than their younger counterparts.Womenreported substantially more caution about local equity marketsthan men, posting a negative 0.51 score versus positive 0.15 formale respondents. Views on US and global markets aligned more closelybetween genders."Seeinghow our clients view the world of investing is so interesting, and theirbelief in global markets relative to local ones is really something totake note of," said Jacob Falkencrone, Global Head of Investment Strategyat Saxo. "There's so much turmoil in the world, but at least according toour investors, there's still room for the global economy to outperform."RegionalPreferences Lean West and EastWhen askedwhich regions would perform best in the final quarter, 32% ofrespondents picked North America and 27% selected Asia-Pacific. Europedrew the most skepticism, with 37% naming it the worst-performing region.Gender differencesemerged in regional outlooks. Female respondents showed greaterbullishness on North America and more bearish views on Europethan men. The two younger age groups both favored North America asthe best region and Europe as the worst, while the oldest group reversed thosepicks.Recently, Capital.com also released interesting study highlighting significant differences in how traders from various countries perceive the markets. For example, UK traders use stop-loss orders 60% more often than others, which also helps them rank among the most profitable.Geopolitics and TechnologyDominate Risk RadarTrump-relateddevelopments and trade wars each registered 79% among respondents who ratedthem very important or somewhat important to investment strategy. AIreached 73%, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict drew 55% and MiddleEast tensions 45%.Nearlyone quarter of clients said they plan to increase diversification inthe coming three months by adding new regions, sectors, or assetclasses. The oldest age group showed the least inclination todiversify at 20%, compared with 24% and 25% for the two younger cohorts.More than one in three women expect to diversify,significantly higher than the roughly one in four men who said thesame.Country-Specific PatternsEmergeDenmark showedthe most support for its local market, with 49% expecting an increase or bigincrease in the C25 index. France took the opposite view, with 74%predicting a decrease or big decrease in the CAC 40. Japandemonstrated the strongest conviction in US markets, while Singapore expressedthe most optimism about global equities.TheNetherlands reported the lowest AI adoption at 28%, while the UK led usageat 71%. French investors showed the highest intent to diversify at 39%,well above the 23% global average. Dutch respondents preferred maintainingcurrent allocations, with 75% planning no changes to their regional, sector, orasset class exposure.The surveycovered markets including Belgium, Central and Eastern Europe, Denmark,France, Italy, Japan, Middle East and North Africa, Netherlands,Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Saxo distributed thequestionnaire through its investment platforms to gather data on marketoutlooks, diversification plans, regional performance expectations, and AIusage in investment decision-making.You may also like other Saxo-related stories:This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.