Obama tops global poll as Gingrich fails to woo investors

US investors are rooting for Mitt Romney and those overseas are for Barack Obama. Newt Gingrich is generating little enthusiasm anywhere.

The expectation in markets of every region is that Obama will be re-elected president in November, an outlook shared by 72% of respondents worldwide in a quarterly Bloomberg Global Poll of 1,209 Bloomberg customers who are investors, traders or analysts.

As US growth strengthens, global investors are warming to Obama’s economic stewardship, with 40% of them optimistic about the impact of his policies on the business climate, up from 30% who said so just seven weeks ago.

In a potential election match-up between Obama, 50, and Romney, 64, a former private equity executive, global respondents are split, with 41% choosing each as better for the world economy. US investors sided three-to-one with the Republican and those outside the US two-to-one with Obama.

“Romney’s financial bona fides might seem like a natural fit for these investors, yet he has not convinced them his stewardship would be better for the global economy than the current president,” says J Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co, the Iowa-based company that conducted the survey.

Faced with a choice between the Democratic incumbent and Republican Gingrich, 68, on who would be better for the world economy, global respondents back Obama 52% to 25%. Those in the US give Gingrich a 44% plurality against 35% for Obama, with 21% unable to tell how they would resolve the dilemma.

Poll participants are divided over whether Romney’s private equity experience better equips him to manage the US economy; 45% say it would, compared with 41% who say it wouldn’t. US respondents place greater weight on Romney’s investment background, with almost two-thirds of them considering it an asset.

On the campaign trail, Romney has stressed his background as co-founder of Bain Capital to claim competence to strengthen the US economy.

Even as poll respondents are split over whether experience in private equity is a credential for the presidency, seven out of 10 say the industry’s business practices have a beneficial impact on the economy.

The general opinion of Obama has improved, with 51% of global respondents viewing him favourably, compared with 48% who said so in December. Still, only 27% of those in the US have a positive opinion of the president.

Nearly 60% of respondents express a negative opinion of Gingrich versus 17% with a positive opinion. US respondents have an even more unfavourable view of the one-time US House speaker: 69% say they just don’t like him.