Members of the hedge fund industry surveyed also believe Brazil, China and India were the most rewarding regions for investing.
The reasons why a global recovery might be derailed next year were also analysed, with respondents citing a range of worries, including the eurozone crisis, global monetary policy uncertainty and the US deficit topping the list.
Around 22% of hedge fund managers said global macro, followed by event-driven (11%) and commodities-based strategies and US long/short equity (9%) would outperform in 2012. Global macro was also chosen most often by investors in hedge funds as most likely to outshine other approaches (23%).
“The results reflect the array of macro-headwinds driving markets right now,” said GAIM event director Amanda Rodrigues-Cheung.