John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index


Winter 2011


John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index Advances
in Fourth Quarter of 2011


  • Score improves to +15 from +10 in Q3 2011
  • Over a third of investors think they are in a better financial position today than they were two years ago
  • More than one-quarter of those polled say their top New Year's resolution is to cut spending or reduce non-mortgage debt

John Hancock Financial announced the results of its quarterly measure of investors' views on a range of investment choices, life goals and economic outlook. For the fourth quarter of 2011, the John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index score is +15, a remarkable improvement from the annual low of +10 measured in the year's third quarter. The fourth quarter survey was conducted in late November through early December of 2011.

The fourth quarter of 2011 reveals glimmers of optimism for 2012. More positive views toward real estate and stock investments seem to have driven the uptick, and many of those surveyed feel better about investing in retirement vehicles, like 401(k)s and IRAs. Three out of four investors said they believe that now is a good or very good time to be investing in retirement products such as 401(k) plans and IRAs (73 percent each). Both of these figures represent significant increases over last quarter's lows (66 percent for 401(k)s and 67 percent for IRAs in Q3).

"There is also some evidence that investors are dealing with market uncertainty by further diversifying their investments," observed Bill Cheney, Chief Economist for John Hancock. "Half of the investors surveyed say it is a good time to invest in balanced mutual funds, and about three-quarters say they plan to invest in mutual funds in 2012."

To Read Complete Press Release, Click Here »