LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Global investor confidence fell in November for the third month running, primarily because of a slide in sentiment among Asian investors, State Street said on Tuesday.
The U.S. financial services firm said its Investor Confidence Index fell 7.6 points to 100.8 from 108.4 in October.
With the decline, the index remains barely above 100 -- a level considered to be neutral.
The report comes as investors are showing increasing caution ahead of the new year and with questions remaining about the sustainability of the world's economic recovery.
"Across all regions, institutional investors are largely treading water; neither increasing nor reducing their aggregate holdings of risky assets," said Ken Froot, the Harvard professor who co-developed the index for State Street.
"Overall, investors are displaying some caution about the current level of equity valuations, and a desire to see more evidence of real economic activity and aggregate demand, particularly in the U.S., before adding to equity exposures."
Regionally, the most pronounced decline was among Asian investors, where confidence fell to 91.2 from 95.3.
The North American regional index ticked up to 102.2 from 101.1 and the European index climbed to 105.5 from 101.8 in October.
The data is extrapolated from movements in around $117.9 trillion of assets State Street holds as custodian and administrator for institutional investors.
(To read Reuters Global Investing Blog click on http://blogs.reuters.com/globalinvesting; for the MacroScope Blog click on http://blogs.reuters.com/macroscope; for Hedge Hub click on http://blogs.reuters.com/hedgehub) (Editing by Mike Peacock) ((jeremy.gaunt@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 1028; Reuters Messaging: jeremy.gaunt.reuters.com@reuters.net))