The Schroders 2025 Global Investor Insights Survey — based on responses from nearly 1000 institutional investors and wealth managers globally, including 79 Australian respondents, encompassing US $67 trillion in assets — explores investor perspectives on macroeconomic risks, investment priorities, and allocation strategies across public and private markets.
“In today’s environment of ongoing market volatility, Australian investors are demonstrating a clear shift towards diversification and selectivity in their pursuit of returns, increasingly turning to active management. We are seeing strong interest in both public and private markets, with conviction in global equities and private equity opportunities amongst Australian investors. Bonds continue to play a vital role in building resilient portfolios through diversification, downside protection, and liquidity. This dynamic, actively-managed approach highlights the importance of adaptability in achieving robust long-term investment outcomes.”
CEO and CIO, Australia
Key observations from Australian investors
84%
of Australian investors plan to increase their use of active management over the next 12 months.
58%
cite portfolio resilience as their top investment priority over the next 12–18 months.
54%
expect global equities to deliver the strongest returns in today’s market environment.
97%
of Australian investors are concerned with market concentration risk.
Discover key findings from this year’s global survey
Investors signal heightened sensitivity to global disruption
Tariffs and protectionism are ranked as the leading concern by 63% of global investors—six times more than any other macro concern. We are witnessing a shift in how global economies interact.
Recalibrating return opportunities in a volatile market
Public equities (46%) and private equity (45%) are cited as preferred sources of return. In addition there is a shift toward active, specialist, and credit-based investment approaches.
The need for a broader income toolkit
Private debt and credit alternatives (44%) are the leading option for income-focused investors, highlighting the role of private credit as a central component of resilient income strategies.
"Resilience now tops the investment agenda for respondents to this year’s Global Investor Insights Survey, as the rising tide no longer lifts all boats. In this environment, active strategies provide the control investors need to manage complexity, create portfolio resilience, and seize opportunities."
Group Chief Investment Officer
About the survey
The 2025 Global Investor Insights Survey captures the perspectives of a broad spectrum of investors, including pension funds, insurance companies, single family offices, endowments and foundations, official institutions, and wealth gatekeepers. Fieldwork was conducted by CoreData Research via an extensive global survey between April and May 2025. The 995 respondents were distributed as follows: 279 from North America, 293 from Europe (ex. UK), 132 from the United Kingdom, 245 in Asia Pacific, and 46 from Latin America.
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