Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek has again taken up shares in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) that Goldman Sachs wanted to unload. Temasek’s stake in the bank rose to 7.04 per cent from 6.71 per cent after it paid HK$1.54 billion for 280 million ICBC shares. Hong Kong stock exchange data showed that Temasek paid an average of HK$5.50 per share.
Goldman raised US$2.5 billion from the sale of ICBC H shares in April last year. Temasek bought most of them, some US$2.3 billion worth. The sovereign wealth fund is keen to invest in mainland banks, and it has allocated more than half its portfolio to Asia………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Temasek Holdings Pte (TMSK), Singapore’s state-owned investment company, boosted its stake in Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. for the third time in a year as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) ended an investment in the lender.
Temasek bought 280 million shares in the world’s largest bank by market value at an average price of HK$5.50 a share, or a total of HK$1.54 billion ($198 million), according to a Hong Kong stock exchange statement………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. has bought a significant stake in U.K. financial data provider Markit Group Ltd., according to a press release by Markit. Temasek will take an approximately 10% stake in the investment of about $500 million, a person familiar with the matter said.
Markit was initially founded by a group of investment banks as a provider of credit default swap pricing and has since branched out into other financial markets. The original shareholders have since sold down their stakes to a variety of private equity firms and investment funds………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Barely seven months after the inauguration of the board of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the organisation has said it would commence investment of the $1 billion Sovereign Wealth Fund with initial $200 million from next month.
The managing director the NSIA, Dr Uche Orji, stated yesterday in Abuja that the NSIA is now fully operational and that the board has already met three times to approve the Investment Policy Statement as well as make allocation to the three different funds, namely the Stabilisation Fund, the Future Generation Fund and the Nigerian Infrastructure Fund………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The investment arm of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) – the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) – has approved an investment allocation of $850 million for the three investment windows of the SWF.
Managing Director/CEO of NSIA, Mr. Uche Orji, said the Future Generations Fund and the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund will each get $325 million or 32.5 per cent while the Stabilisation Fund will receive $200 million or 20 per cent. He spoke yesterday on the commencement of the operations of the NSIA. The remaining 15 per cent of $150 million, he said “will be kept as unallocated for now, and used to top up each of the ring-fenced funds, as opportunities arise.”…………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 22 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Canary Wharf Group Plc and Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund won local-government approval to build 877 homes and eight office towers at the site of Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s London headquarters on the banks of the River Thames.
A joint venture between the fund’s Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment unit and Canary Wharf gained Lambeth Borough Council’s permission to construct eight buildings totaling about 76,000 square meters (820,000 square feet) of space and ranging from five to 37 floors at Shell Centre. The tower occupied by Shell since the 1960s will remain part of the development………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 21 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Nigeria’s $1 billion sovereign wealth fund will start investing in June, as its board has approved the investment policy statements for the three funds it includes, Chief Executive Officer Uche Orji said.
The SWF, inaugurated in October, was set up to invest savings made from the difference between budgeted oil prices and actual market prices. Africa’s biggest oil producer relies on crude exports for more than 90 percent of foreign income and about 80 percent of government revenue, according to the central bank, making it vulnerable to swings in prices…………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 21 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) on Monday said it would open its investment portfolio with the injection of $525million for the take-off of projects under the Stabilization Fund and the Future Generation Fund early next month.
NSIA is a savings fund established by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (Establishment) Act 2011 and financed by the Federal Government to build a savings and investments base from the country’s hydrocarbon wealth…………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 21 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is still looking at making an offer to buy into Italian fashion house Gianni Versace SpA, an Italian business daily reports, citing anonymous financial sources.
Qatar Holding LLC of the Qatar Investment Authority would make an offer alongside Italy’s own state investment fund, Fondo Strategico Italiano, or Fsi, daily Il Sole 24 Ore says in a report published over the weekend…………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 21 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has bought a 40-percent stake in a new 290,000-square metre skyscraper project near the centre of Milan with a commercial value of 2.0 billion euros ($2.6 billion), the companies said on Friday.
The project has already involved the construction of the skyscraper headquarters of Italy’s biggest bank UniCredit by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli. “Porta Nuova is one of the most prestigious urban renovation projects in Europe,” real estate giant Hines Italia and Qatar Holding said in a statement…………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 17 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, Government Pension Fund Global, is investing $4 billion (Dh14.7 billion) in India and is focused in the areas of oil and gas, shipping and hydropower, Norway’s envoy to India has said.
Norwegian Ambassador Eivind S. Homme said the Government Pension Fund has a capital of $720 billion and is into petroleum. “The Pension Fund is actually a petroleum fund. It is investing $4 billion in India. The officials were in India last week,” Homme told IANS on the sidelines of an event to celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day Wednesday evening at the embassy premises………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 16 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Founded just seven years ago, Australia’s Future Fund has quickly become one of the world’s most innovative sovereign wealth funds. Led by CIO David Neal and a team of more than 40 investment experts, the Future Fund’s total-portfolio approach to managing money resembles that of a multistrategy hedge fund or a sophisticated endowment.
Determined to make full use of the freedom he’d been given, Neal set out to design an innovative investment strategy. Having observed a range of structural pitfalls among mature pension funds - namely, a tendency to overengineer their portfolios and become rigid in their asset allocations - he aimed to find a smarter way of running long-term money……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 16 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Severn Trent Plc (SVT), the U.K.’s second-largest publicly traded water company, rejected a takeover approach from Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund and a Canadian infrastructure investor.
The proposal “completely fails to recognize the existing and potential value of Severn Trent,” the company said in a statement. Severn Trent, which supplies water to 7.7 million people, has a market value of 5 billion pounds ($7.6 billion)……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 16 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Severn Trent (SVT) has rejected an initial offer for its shares following a meeting with the consortium including a Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund and Canadian pension fund as it “completely fails” to recognise the value of the water utility.
The deal only serves to highlight once more the attractiveness to overseas investors of UK utility companies, with their inflation-linked revenue streams and record low costs of debt on large national infrastructure asset bases……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 15 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Severn Trent has rejected an approach from a consortium of Canadian and Kuwaiti investors, saying the £5.3bn proposal is too low. The FTSE 100 company, which supplies water to more than 4.2m households, met with Canada’s Borealis, the Kuwait Investment Office and the Universities Superannuation Scheme yesterday, causing Severn Trent’s shares to jump 14pc.
“At that meeting, a conditional proposal was tabled by the Consortium at only a modest premium to the share price before the announcement of May 14. The board of Severn Trent has reviewed the proposal with its advisers and concluded that it completely fails to recognise the existing and potential value of Severn Trent,” the company said………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 15 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund and a Canadian infrastructure investor are discussing a bid for Severn Trent Plc (SVT), the U.K.’s second-largest publicly traded water company that’s valued at almost 5 billion pounds ($7.6 billion).
The Kuwait Investment Office, Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc. and Britain’s Universities Superannuation Scheme approached the utility regarding a possible takeover, Coventry, U.K.-based Severn Trent said today in a statement………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 15 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world and individuals could learn a great deal from it.
After discovering its first oilfield in 1969, Norway has created this Fund that received its first sum of money of about $300m in 1996. Now (May 13, 2013), it has a value of more than $750b (NOK 4,313b). The strategy and the philosophy underlying the asset allocation could be used by any individual investor with a portfolio of merely $ 50,000………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 14 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
A consortium led by China’s Citic Capital and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings today agreed to buy US-listed Chinese telecom software firm Asiainfo-Linkage Inc for about $900 million.
The consortium that includes Asiainfo-Linkage founder Edward Tian has offered to pay $12 per share, a premium of 2.8 per cent to the company’s closing price of $11.68 on 10 May………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 14 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Canary Wharf Group Plc and Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund won planners’ support to build 877 homes and about 76,000 square meters (820,000 square feet) of offices at the site of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s London headquarters on the banks of the River Thames.
Planning officials recommended that Lambeth Borough Council approve the project by Braeburn Estates Ltd., a joint venture between the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Co. unit of the sovereign-wealth fund and Canary Wharf, the developer that controls the financial district of the same name, according to a filing published on the council’s website………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 13 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
While they continue to reduce dependence on energy resources, GCC countries are increasingly spending locally and redirecting a greater portion of foreign investments back into the region. According to a report by KPMG specialists released on Thursday, the shift is due to the debt problems afflicting the European Union and the Arab Spring, among other factors.
Invesco’s Middle East Asset Management study for 2012 suggests that the value of assets allocated to sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) invested locally have increased by 10 per cent from 2011. Although GCC economies’ revenues increased by nearly 30 per cent and as the West are looking to tap into state-owned funds in the region, assets allocated to SWFs that invest abroad have declined by 1 per cent……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 13 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Malaysian sovereign wealth investor Khazanah Nasional Berhad is among six cornerstone investors planning to back China Galaxy Securities’ $1.37bn Hong Kong IPO.
Khazanah plans to commit up to $100m to the IPO after it as priced at between HK$4.99 and HK$6.77 per share. Another $260m is expected to be committed by former Khazanah portfolio company AIA, China Life Insurance, China General Technology, China Cinda Asset Management and Sino Life……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 13 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Neiman Marcus Group Inc. is planning overtures to a handful of sovereign-wealth funds about a possible buyout of the luxury retailer, said people familiar with the deliberations.
Dallas-based Neiman plans to contact funds including the Government of Singapore Investment Corp., the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Qatar Investment Authority to gauge interest in buying the century-old department-store chain, the people said. The plans are at an early stage, the people said, and a sale may not materialize……………………………………Full Article: Source
Posted on 10 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
With a steady availability of capital, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has been making opportunistic investments around the world, especially in Europe. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), actively involved in making opportunistic investments, has future aims of acquiring more trophy assets and diversifying its portfolio, a report finds.
According to a report issued this week by KPMG detailing the sovereign wealth fund management trends in countries like UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, QIA’s investment strategy was described as “multi-dimensional” with the sovereign wealth fund boasting significant acquisition of assets in industries like hospitality, real estate, financial services, commodities and retail………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 10 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Katara Hospitality is in talks to buy “iconic” hotels in London and Rome as the unit of Qatar’s sovereign-wealth fund seeks to more than double its properties by 2030, said Chief Operating Officer Christopher R.J. Knable.
Katara, which bought Le Royal Monceau in Paris in 2012, will open the 16th-century Peninsula Paris this year after renovations are complete, Knable said in an interview in Dubai. He wouldn’t be more specific about the hotels the company may buy. Katara Hospitality, which is owned by Qatar Holding LLC, has also signed agreements with the governments of Gambia and Maldives to develop properties………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 10 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
China Investment Corporation (CIC), the country’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, has returned to the debt markets to seek to leverage last year’s acquisition of Winchester House in the City seeking around £160m in senior debt. CIC acquired the 310,000 sq ft Winchester House from KanAm, the German open-ended property fund manager, for £245m last November with agreed financing term sheets from Wells Fargo and Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (PBB).
At the 11th hour, CIC dropped the Wells Fargo-led circa £150m five-year ticket, opting instead to hold the asset on an all-cash basis, given the sovereign wealth fund’s low cost of capital………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 09 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Future Fund has released its portfolio update for March and overall it is an impressive result, with the fund gaining 3.4% for the quarter and increasing 10.6% for the nine months to 31 March 2013. Since being created by the Howard government in May 2006, the Future Fund has returned a respectable 5.7% per annum.
Over the period since its establishment the Future Fund also achieved a more balanced allocation of assets compared with what was initially a significant skew to domestic equities. This was partially due to the fund’s seeding with Telstra shares………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 08 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) has taken a stake in the third-largest private equity deal of the year. The investment firm is among a group of investors that will pay US$6.9 billion (S$8.5 billion) in cash to buy American company BMC Software and take it private, according to a statement released by BMC.
The price per share works out to US$46.25, less than 2 per cent over BMC’s closing price of US$45.42 on the Nasdaq exchange last Friday………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 08 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Sunshine Oilsands, a developer of oil sands projects in Canada, plans to raise C$300 million (HK$2.3 billion) this year by issuing debt to fund expansion. The Hong Kong and Toronto-listed firm is 30.9 per cent owned by China Petroleum & Chemical (Sinopec), sovereign wealth fund manager China Investment Corp, and the Hong Kong asset management arms of Bank of China and China Life Insurance.
It is developing the West Ells project in northern Alberta, which is expected to produce 5,000 barrels of oil daily by October. An expansion scheduled to be commissioned early next year will double output………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 07 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Azerbaijan’s state oil fund SOFAZ has agreed to invest around $500 million in a new share offering by VTB, Russia’s second-largest bank, the fund said in e-mailed comments to Reuters.
VTB says it has already received firm orders for all of the 2.5 trillion shares it is selling in Moscow at 4.1 kopecks apiece, raising 102.5 billion roubles ($3.3 billion) to bolster its capital. Jamala Aliyeva, head of public relations at SOFAZ, said the fund had been investing in Russian money market instruments, fixed-income securities and commercial real estate since 2012. The VTB investment marked a further step to strengthen its presence in Russia………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 07 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Billions of pounds of investments in major UK infrastructure projects are at risk because of a rift in relations with the Chinese government.
The Daily Telegraph understands that China’s sovereign wealth fund will not be able to invest in long-term British projects until a solution to the diplomatic stand-off, caused by David Cameron’s meeting with the Dalai Lama last year, has been reached………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 06 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Sovereign wealth funds must be encouraged to invest in emerging markets, to make up for the drought of long-term investment. The ADB and other multilateral development banks need to “catalyze” money from sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in order to tap into a rich seam of wealth that could help close the threatened funding gap for infrastructure and other long-term projects, a private equity specialist said.
Assets of the world’s half dozen or so major SWFs have now grown to a massive $4.6 trillion and this will soon exceed $5 trillion, according to Arvind Mathur, former head of capital markets in the ADB’s private sector department and now head of his own Indian private equity firm………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 06 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
House of Fraser has held talks with Qatari investors about a potential takeover of the UK department store chain, in further indication that the retailer is amenable to a sale. Qatari investors have a record of buying prestigious department stores in Britain, such as the 2010 acquisition of Harrods by Qatar Holding, the direct investment arm of the Qatar Investment Authority.
Qatar Holding, which owns about a quarter of the J Sainsbury supermarket chain, is not believed to be involved in any talks over House of Fraser, those familiar with the situation say………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 03 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Singapore’s principal sovereign wealth fund is close to sealing a $500m (£320m) deal to buy a stake in Markit Group, one of Britain’s fastest-growing financial services companies. I understand that Temasek Holdings, which is among the most powerful state-backed funds in the world, is now in advanced negotiations about acquiring the shareholding ahead of a US flotation of Markit.
Sky News revealed the talks between Temasek and Markit about a deal in February. It is unclear whether the Singaporean fund would acquire shares held by management or Markit’s institutional investors, but it is likely that a transaction would value the financial data provider at more than £3bn. The exact percentage that Temasek will own is yet to be determined………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 03 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek is set to take a stake worth around $500m (£320m) in Markit, the UK financial data provider. The state-backed fund is now in advanced negotiations about acquiring the shareholding ahead of a US flotation of Markit, according to a Sky News report.
The percentage of Markit’s equity Temasek will acquire has not been disclosed. The deal is likely to value Markit at more than £3bn………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 02 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, one of the world’s largest investors, urged China to open its domestic markets to foreign investors, saying it was keen to pour billions of dollars into the world’s second-biggest economy.
The head of the fund, which invests Norway’s revenues from oil and gas production for future generations, said on Tuesday it had only around $1 billion invested in China out of total holdings of $735 billion………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 02 May 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has big stakes in Agricultural Bank of China Ltd., Barclays Plc, Credit Suisse Group AG and Tiffany & Co. It owns London department store Harrods outright.
As Qatar’s government has spread its financial wings, the country’s biggest financial institution, Qatar National Bank, has been at its side. Under Ali Shareef Al Emadi, its chief executive officer since 2005, QNB has become the largest lender in the Middle East and one of the most profitable. Even as the bank has expanded, Al Emadi has maintained QNB’S capital base and aversion to risk………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
France’s FSI sovereign-wealth fund said it had bought a stake in Technicolor to support the digital video specialist’s plan to cut debt and boost cash flow by 2015.The FSI fund gave no financial details, but said in a statement on Monday that it and state bank Caisse des Depots together now held 7.5 percent of Technicolor’s share capital.Caisse des Depots owned 6.3 percent of Technicolor as of March 20, implying the FSI has purchased a 1.2 percent stake.
Technicolor is in the midst of a strategic plan to cut its 1 billion-euro ($1.31 billion) debt pile and boost earnings by investing in new products including consumer media-sharing applications and digital ad services………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Qatar Holding, the Gulf country’s rich sovereign wealth fund, has made a “binding” commitment to invest in VTB Bank’s $3bn public share offering, according to the Russian lender.
VTB, Russia’s second largest lender, is issuing 2.5 trillion new shares to help boost its equity capital and strengthen its shareholder base with new strategic investors. It is expected to raise RUB102.5bn ($3.28bn)………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
VTB Bank, Russia’s second largest lender by assets, has secured firm commitments from three sovereign wealth fund investors for its Secondary Public Offering (SPO) worth 102.5 billion rubles ($3.3 billion), the lender said on Monday.
“VTB Bank has received firm and binding commitments from a group of investors comprising existing and new shareholders, including three prominent sovereign wealth funds: Norges Bank Investment Management (the Kingdom of Norway); Qatar Holding LLC (the State of Qatar); and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, SOFAZ (the Republic of Azerbaijan), to subscribe for the entire amount of the offering,” VTB said in a statement………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Russia’s second-largest lender VTB Bank said Monday its secondary public offering, scheduled for May, attracted demand from the sovereign wealth funds of energy giants Norway, Qatar and Azerbaijan.
VTB said in a statement it received “firm and binding commitments” from existing and new shareholders, including bids from Norges Bank Investment Management, Qatar Holding LLC and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan.VTB is planning to issue 2.5 trillion of new ordinary shares worth 102.5 billion rubles ($3.23 billion) to meet capital adequacy targets and provide funding for the continued growth of the business………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan, Qatar Sovereign Fund and Norway Sovereign Fund were selected as strategic investors in placement of additional share emission of VTB Bank.According to APA-Economics, the volume of the issue is RR 102.5 bln (quantity – 2.5 trilions, face value – RR 0.041).
Note that the emission has already been registered by Russian Bank. The prices are 9% lower than market quotations………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
On April 26, 2013, the Supervisory Board of VTB Bank announced that it had resolved to attract new capital in amount of up to Rub 102.5bn through the issuance of 2.5 trillion new ordinary shares (”New Shares”) by way of an open subscription at a price of Rub 0.041 per Share (the “Offering”), VTB said.
The Bank of Russia has registered the decision on issue of the New Shares and the Russian prospectus on April 26, 2013………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 30 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Bahrain sovereign fund Mumtalakat said on Monday that it has no plans to sell stakes in domestic companies and could even increase its investments – but not in Gulf Air.
One of the smaller sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf region with USD$7.1 billion of assets under management at the end of September, the fund holds stakes in 40 firms in the state’s non-oil sector, including Bahrain Telecommunications and Aluminium Bahrain (Alba).Last year, chief executive Mahmood al-Kooheji said Mumtalakat could divest stakes in these firms to raise cash to invest in Bahrain’s economy, such as through public share sales - Alba was listed in 2010, for example………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 29 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
VTB Group (VTBR), Russia’s second-largest lender, received enough orders from investors including sovereign wealth funds in Norway and Azerbaijan to cover a $3.3 billion share sale, said a person with knowledge of the matter.
VTB got a firm commitment to buy new shares from Norges Bank Investment Management, the world’s largest sovereign fund, as well as from Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund and other investors, said the person, who declined to be identified as the information is private. Qatar’s wealth fund has also bought shares, Prime newswire service reported late yesterday, citing an unidentified person close to the Russian state bank’s supervisory board………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 29 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The sovereign wealth fund of Norway, amongst the world’s biggest investors, has said that it wants to participate more actively in the management of firms it has heavy investments in, such as Volvo and other firms.
The fund has under its management totalling US$728 billion and said it is aiming to become active participants of company activities such as election of board members.According to the fund’s CEO Yngve Slyngstad, “It means having an ownership in the order of 5 percent and that we find ourselves among the top five investors. Our ownership should be significant, in the order of $1 billion,”……………………………………….Full Article: Source
Posted on 29 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), the sovereign wealth fund, has long been known both for its integrity and cautious approach to investment. But several recent initiatives point to the growing difficulty of being conservative in a world of virtually zero interest rates and modest yields — and a world in which inflation is low today but may be much higher tomorrow.
The KIA recently joined forces with real estate developer Steve Ross’s Related Companies and with Oxford Properties, to provide equity in the first stage of the $15 billion Hudson Yards project in Manhattan………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 26 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The head of China’s $500 billion sovereign wealth fund criticized the U.S. process of reviewing foreign investment, calling it a slap in the face, at a conference in Washington Thursday.
Gao Xiqing, head of China Investment Corp ., said that China is “singled out” for challenge by the U.S. and isn’t regarded as an ordinary member of the international community………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 26 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
The government’s fiscal reserve has managed to squeeze a return of less than 1.75 percent out of its billion-dollar investments in its first year. University of Macau public economics professor Jenny Huang Bihong said the return was “too low, much lower than inflation”.
“As such its value is essentially declining.” The average rate of inflation for same period, the 12 months ending February 28, was 6.16 percent. Ms Huang told Business Daily that Macau should establish a sovereign wealth fund similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd. But another scholar disagrees, warning that such a move might not improve return on investment………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 26 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Azerbaijan’s $34 billion state oil fund plans to spend about $1 billion on real estate abroad this year, mainly in Asia and Australia, as it further diversifies a broad portfolio of foreign assets.
The state oil fund uses investment proceeds to help finance social spending and infrastructure projects. It transferred 7.04 billion manats ($9 billion) to the Azeri state budget in the first nine months of last year. The fund spent $600 million on real estate in Europe in 2012, buying office blocks in central London and Paris and a shopping complex in Moscow………………………………………..Full Article: Source
Posted on 25 April 2013 by VRS | Email |Print
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is looking into selling off shares in oil firms that work in Equatorial Guinea, where oil revenue does nothing to relieve abject poverty, the fund’s ethics council said, a list that includes Exxon Mobil. The Norwegian Pension Fund Global was Exxon Mobil’s tenth-largest shareholder at end-2012 with some 16 billion crowns ($2.7 billion) worth of shares, or a stake of 0.81 percent.
The fund, whose investments totalled $725 billion on Wednesday, invests Norway’s revenues from oil and gas production for future generations. Exxon Mobil was its tenth-largest equity holding at end-2012, according to its annual report………………………………………..Full Article: Source