What do Malcolm Turnbull, the International Monetary Fund and Bob Brown have in common? All tout the wisdom of sovereign wealth funds, increasingly the motherhood statement of economic policy.
Western Australia’s Premier Colin Barnett joined the throng this week, promising his state, flush with cash from mineral royalties, would set up such a fund to ensure “future generations have a legacy” from the “finite resources available at present”. A political panacea, too, they are meant to curb the severity of recessions and take the wind out of soaring currencies that hobble local manufacturers………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Government of Singapore Investment Corp, one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, has taken a 5 per cent stake in commodities trader Bunge Ltd, according to a regulatory filing.
GIC has bought 7,305,865 shares of the New York-listed agricultural trading firm, the fund said in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission dated Feb 23, valuing its stake at US$496 million (S$621 million)………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Citic Capital Holdings Ltd., part- owned by China’s sovereign wealth fund, said it raised $60 million in a first closing for a growth-investment fund from investors including a Temasek Holdings Pte unit.
The Citic Capital Venture Partners will focus on high- growth, small- and medium-sized enterprises in clean-technology, consumer and new emerging industries in China, Citic Capital said in an e-mailed statement today. The fund targets a size of $150 million, Citic Capital said………………………………………..Full Article: Source

Committee chair Moshe Gafni: If the government doesn’t stipulate that the fund will only be for social purposes, we will. Knesset Finance Committee members oppose recommendations of the inter-ministerial team, headed by National Economics Council chairman Eugene Kandell, which will review the management of the state’s revenues from oil and gas resources.
During yesterday’s discussion, committee members said that the team’s recommendations violate the spirit of the Sheshinski Committee to use revenues from natural gas discoveries for social purposes………………………………………..Full Article: Source

France’s largest listed bank BNP Paribas is said considering the sale of all or part of its 51% stake in shopping centre REIT/SIIC Klépierre to the Norwegian Pension Fund run by a division of the central bank, Norges Bank Investment Management.
Business publication La Lettre de l’Expansion and Les Echos newspaper said that the French bank is in discussions with the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund on the possible purchase………………………………………..Full Article: Source

The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. will continue lending out stocks in its $40 billion-plus portfolio, despite the losses some other funds have had with the practice.
It’s called securities lending, but it may be more aptly called securities “renting” due to the income the permanent fund receives………………………………………..Full Article: Source