Just 11% of UK institutional investors made significant portfolio changes in response to the 2025 trade/tariff/geopolitical disruption, according to new research, with 73% agreeing the year delivered more upside than downside to portfolios.
Nuveen’s sixth annual EQuilibrium Global Institutional Investor Survey also revealed that investors placed more importance on concentration risk and diversifying more on a regional basis. In fact, over half (60%) of UK investors’ most significant portfolio changes were linked to the reallocationg of regional exposures, followed by increasing liquidity (37%).
UK investors (37%) made the largest reallocation towards Europe ex. UK.
Private markets continued to reign with 81% of global institutional investors planning to increase private market allocations over the next five years.
However, investor appetite has matured, with greater emphasis on diversification and vehicle structure. Nearly half of UK investors (43%) believe diversifying their alternative credit portfolio is a top priority over the next five years.
Nuveen surveyed 800 global institutional investors in October-November 2025. Thirty per cent of the respondents were insurance companies.
