By Jeremy Gaunt, European Investment Correspondent
LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Investors have been sharply cutting their exposure to bonds this month, concerned by higher inflation expectations and as their appetite for riskier assets has grown, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch said on Tuesday.
The U.S. investment bank's December survey of 302 fund managers also showed rising confidence among investors about future economic growth and corporate earnings growth.
"Investors feel almost compelled to invest in risk assets at the moment, and that's down to the Fed," said Garry Baker, the firm's European equity strategist.
The Federal Reserve announced a $600 billion asset-buying programme in November designed to pump ample liquidity into the U.S. economy and hence global financial system.
One "victim" of the return of risk appetite on financial markets has been government bonds.
The fund manager survey found that investors had cut their exposure to bonds in December to the lowest level since April.
Respondents to the survey were a net 47 percent underweight in bonds versus 36 percent a month earlier, a number derived by subtracting underweight positions from overweight ones.
BofA-Merrill does not differentiate between bonds in its questionnaire, but said there was widespread negativity towards the asset class as a whole. The average position over the past nine years has been 33 percent underweight.
"The overall message is still very optimistic on growth," Baker said.
In contrast to bonds, investors were relatively bullish on equities.
A net 40 percent were overweight in equities in the survey, slightly lower than the 41 percent in November but well above the levels of summer.
GROWTH
Elsewhere in the survey, there was a large jump in the percentage of respondents expecting higher economic growth over the next 12 months.
A net 44 percent now fit into this category compared with a net 35 percent in November and 0 percent three months ago.
Corporate profit expectations have also risen, with a net 51 percent expecting profits to improve over 12 months versus 36 percent last month.
BofA-Merrill's composite risk appetite indicator, based on the poll, was steady in the month, but at plus 45 was higher than its long-term average of plus 40. (Editing by Hugh Lawson)