Global Investor Insights Survey 2026

Investors are broadening portfolio construction across active management, public and private markets, and alternative strategies to build resilience in a more volatile environment.

• The survey covers 1,025 investors across 24 locations, representing US$72 trillion in assets; 85% expect volatility to increase over the next 12 months, while 85% are confident that active management can help achieve investment objectives, up from 75% last year.
• Diversification is a leading objective for 84% of respondents, and 31% plan to move assets from passive to active management; 48% value active management for addressing concentration risk in equity markets.
• Equity investors are expanding beyond traditional large-cap exposure: 71% use active fundamental equities for long-term capital growth, 65% use small- and mid-cap strategies, and 62% use large-cap private equity buyouts.
• Private credit is already present in the portfolios of 78% of respondents, with 53% allocating between 1% and 10% of their credit portfolios to it; real estate and infrastructure debt are associated with capital resilience, while distressed credit and emerging-market debt are linked to alpha generation.
• Active ETFs are gaining broader portfolio roles: 70% cite lower costs than active mutual funds as a key benefit, half use them for diversification, and one in four uses them for core equity allocation.

Takeaway: The survey points to a shift toward diversified, active and flexible portfolio construction, but investors still need to manage valuation risk, liquidity differences, fees and transparency when increasing exposure to private markets and alternatives.