While the UK remains the most popular region in the eyes of active investors, attitudes have shifted dramatically, the AIC said, with only 20% of active investors now citing the homeland as their favoured region for outperformance compared to 75% in 2008.
In its latest active investor research 802 high net worth investors were surveyed (by Morningstar on behalf of the AIC) in February 2012.
The US was seen to be in ascendency, with those in favour of it more than doubling from 6% in September last year to 14% this time round.
"This is the greatest display of confidence towards the US in the several years that the AIC has gauged active investors’ views", the AIC noted.
It also comes after 19% of fund managers polled by the association said they expected the US to outperform in 2012.
Annabel Brodie-Smith, communications director at the AIC, said: "You most definitely can’t ignore the world’s largest economy. At the end of 2011 investment company managers tipped the US to be one of the best performing regions this year, and it’s interesting to see that active investors are taking a similar position."
