From Reuters: It is too early to tell if internationally agreed guidelines for sovereign wealth funds work, but there is no evidence that state-backed money pools have abused their positions, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

The International Monetary Fund agreed the so-called Santiago principles with sovereign wealth fund countries last year to instill best practices in their operations and avert a protectionist backlash….. Full Article: Source

From CNN: The China Investment Corp. remains open to additional investments in the U.S., a senior executive of the country’s sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday.

But Jin Liqun, chairman of the supervisory board of CIC, also urged the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to overhaul the regulatory system and to move cautiously to boost the country’s savings rate….. Full Article: Source

From Soundofcannons: “Only 12 months ago pundits claimed most emerging markets would be immune from the credit crisis engulfing the United States and Europe,” says Investment Director Eric Roseman.

“They were dead wrong. The emerging markets have plunged more than 65% from their all-time highs while rich oil producing nations, including the Gulf States, have crashed.”…. Full Article: Source

From Iranoilgas.com: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered that 20 per cent of oil and gas revenues should in future be set aside for a new investment fund.

The order is part of a set of mandatory economic, social and political guidelines the top leader set for president Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad to be included in the country’s next five-year development plan which runs from 2010 to 2015. The government is drafting the new plan and is expected to present it to the parliament in spring for final approval….. Full Article: Source

From Reuters: U.S. government debt is heading toward bubble territory and investors should prepare to exit, or risk seeing those assets lose up to a fifth in value, French bank Societe Generale said on Tuesday.

U.S. Treasuries — a $5-trillion-plus asset class of which foreign investors, notably major international players such as sovereign wealth funds, own half — could rally further in the near term as headline inflation rates look set to dip into negative territory by March-April….. Full Article: Source

From FT Adviser.com: According to a global survey of fund managers by Watson Wyatt, the influence of hedge funds and investment banks will decline significantly in the coming months, while that of pension and sovereign funds will rise, with continued growth in demand for alpha from investors.

Fund managers also expect to see their institutional clients opting for more conservative investment strategies, as well as prioritising greater risk control as the main area for improvement in their governance….. Full Article: Source

From Reuters: Qatar International Islamic Bank QIIB.QA said on Wednesday the Gulf state’s sovereign wealth fund would begin buying shares in the lender this week and would take 10 percent of its share capital by the end of 2009.

In October, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) launched a $5.3 billion plan to buy stakes of up to 20 percent in listed banks to shore up investor confidence in the banking sector during the global financial crisis…… Full Article: Source

From WSJ: Japan’s lower house of parliament passed a 4.786 trillion yen ($53.72 billion) extra budget to fund some of the government’s promised economic stimulus measures, but the fate of the spending plan is far from certain after one representative quit the ruling party.

Prime Minister Taro Aso’s cabinet compiled a fiscal stimulus package in October to try to jump-start an economy that is slowing in tandem with the global slump…… Full Article: Source

From Apa.az: As of January 1, Azerbaijan’s official foreign exchange reserves stood at $6 137 million, up 52.3% on a year ago, said the National Bank of Azerbaijan.

The manat rose 0.0443 manats or 5.24% against the US dollar during 2008. The country officla currency reserves rose 0.6% in November to $5 348.6 million as at December 1 while declined 2.3% in October….. Full Article: Source

From Stuff.co.nz: A further $400 million has been wiped off the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, winding the clock back more than two years on the country’s retirement nest egg.

Institutional collapses and plunging markets fuelled a 5.04 per cent loss for November, with the share-based fund’s worth diving to $11.6 billion its lowest value since November 2006….. Full Article: Source

From Businessmirror.com.ph: From 2001 to 2003, the number of funds of funds more than doubled to 1,232 from 550 as institutional investors poured in money. EIM took advantage of the boom. By 2003, EIM’s assets had swelled to more than $4 billion. In 2004, EIM won its first account from a sovereign wealth fund, which Busson continues to service and declines to name.

Many institutional investors had started out putting money into funds of funds that offered the same mix of hedge funds to all investors. …. Full Article: Source