UBS Securities' analysts forecast the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index to rise 15-20 percent this year, and they recommend investors to follow real estate developers which they see may be the most profitable investment.

But investors should be cautious about what they are buying because the number of shares that are expected to rise this year will be much fewer than in 2010, Chen Li, executive director for equities research of UBS, told a forum yesterday.

Real estate firms, despite a possible property tax to curb asset bubbles, are still the most sensible investment on the mainland market as they will frequently surprise investors with "unexpected profits," Chen said.

"Property sales and prices will rise this year, which makes buying real estate developers ideal given their share prices are relatively low after they have fallen for nearly a year," Chen explained.