In the UAE, a staggering 84 per cent of high net worth individuals and business owners are optimistic on the state of their economy, almost unchanged compared to last quarter's results, according to UBS Global Wealth Management's new quarterly Investor Sentiment survey.

Similarly, 81 per cent of UAE investors are bullish on regional stocks.

By comparison, investors globally expressed much lower levels of optimism on their domestic economies and stock markets. Fifty-nine per cent were optimistic on the domestic economy in the most recent quarter, and 55 per cent expressed bullish views on local stocks.

Nevertheless, UAE investors remained reluctant to put money to work in the market, holding 21 per cent of their assets in cash on average.UBS Global Wealth Management's Chief Investment Office recommends investors continue to put money to work in a diversified portfolio, holding a positive overall stance on stocks for the rest of 2019.

The survey, which polled more than 3,800 wealthy investors and entrepreneurs in 17 countries, shows UAE investors rank cyber security as one of their top concerns, with 48 per cent of respondents seeing it as a major worry.

Cedric Lizin, head of UBS Wealth Management Dubai, said: "Our survey shows clearly that investors in the UAE are among the world's most optimistic when it comes to their local economy. However, we believe it is now important to translate that optimism into actual market participation, as opposed to cash holdings."

Amongst global investors, the current trade war was one of the most prevalent top concerns, as cited by 46 per cent of respondents – up 7 percentage points quarter over quarter– on par with local politics, also cited by 46 per cent of respondents. Cyber security was the third most common worry with 43 per cent. – TradeArabia News Service