The State Street Global Investor Confidence Index (ICI) increased to 95.4 in March, up 4.2 points from February’s revised reading of 91.2. The Asian ICI also rose from 104.3 in February to 109.6 in March, up 5.3 points.

A reading of 100 is neutral; it is the level at which investors are neither increasing nor decreasing their long-term allocations to risky assets.

Confidence among European investors also improved, with the European ICI rising 11.9 points to 95, up from February’s revised reading of 83.1; the North American ICI declined by 0.3 points from 91.9 to 91.6.

The ICI measures investor confidence by analyzing buying and selling patterns; the greater the percentage allocation to equities, the higher risk appetite or confidence.