Most investors in Bank of America Merrill Lynch's October fund manager survey are doubtful that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in 2015.
Only 47% of investors believed a Fed rate hike would happen this year, down from 58% who expected one in the September survey.
"As investors debate the timing of a rate hike, they should be anticipating a massive policy shift in the U.S., Europe and Japan from [quantitative easing] to fiscal stimulus in 2016," Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, said in a statement.
A net 19% of the panel told researchers that global fiscal policy was too restrictive.
The survey, conducted from Oct. 2 to Oct. 8, polled 209 participants managing $512 billion of assets.
Thirty-nine percent of panelists still considered China the biggest "tail risk," but their ranks were much reduced from 54% in September. Pessimism over Chinese equities had eased, according to the poll.
Not so global emerging markets, as 23% of the panel named short emerging markets equities the most crowded trade, up from 20% in September.
A net 26% of investors said corporate operating margins would fall in 2016, up from a net 18% in the September survey.
Cash balances in October fell to 5.1% of portfolios, down from the 2008 crisis level of 5.5% last month, but they were still above historic average levels.
— Check out China, Brazil Cause Headaches for Emerging Market Investors on ThinkAdvisor.
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