Investors in the UAE are “overwhelmingly” optimistic that they will reach their financial goals, albeit lower oil prices continue to weigh on their sentiment, a global investor survey revealed on Sunday.

Franklin Templeton’s survey that polled over 11,500 investors in 23 countries shows that 94 per cent of respondents in the UAE expect to meet their targets, putting the country on par with China, and second only to India among the 23 markets polled.

The latest sentiment results strongly endorse the outcome of Nielsen’s online survey last week showing that the UAE consumer confidence score rising to 115 points in the first quarter of 2015 to rank the country at the top in the Middle East Africa region and third globally after India and Indonesia in the first and second positions.

For the first time, Franklin Templeton has included the UAE as a key country in the global survey, signalling the market’s growing role on the international stage. Details