| The Qatar Investment Authority’s acquisition of a 9.9-percent stake in Empire State Realty Trust, announced Wednesday, is an unusual move for a sovereign wealth fund. But it offers several advantages, analysts say. “It is relatively rare to see [sovereign wealth funds] buy a stock position,” said John Guinee, an analyst at Stifel. Far more often, they buy direct stakes in buildings.
When Norway’s sovereign wealth fund Norges Bank Investment Management invested with publicly traded Boston Properties last year, for example, it didn’t buy its stocks. Instead, it bought a 45-percent joint venture interest in the Citigroup Center at 601 Lexington Avenue for $725 million. In 2013, it had bought a 45-percent stake in Boston Properties’ 7 Times Square for $684 million...............................................Full Article: Source
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