OSLO: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund should raise the proportion of its investments in equities to 70 percent from 60 percent to the detriment of its bond holdings, the majority on a government-appointed commission said.
If the increase was done today, it would mean the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, currently valued at $875 billion, would move $87 billion into equities away from government bonds, whose low interest rates are dragging down the fund’s return.Any reallocation of the fund’s assets is expected to take several years, however.
Eight of the nine members on the panel – made up of two former finance ministers, economists and financial investors – said a higher share of equities would increase the expected return of the fund and the contribution to the state’s budget.
“It entails more volatility in the value of the fund and a higher risk of a decline in its long-run value. The majority is of the view that this risk is acceptable,” commission member Hilde Bjoernland told a news conference, when presenting the view of the majority on the commission.
The fund can currently invest up to 60 percent of its investments in equities, 35 percent in fixed income and 5 percent in real estate. It holds stakes in around 9,000 companies across 78 countries. It cannot invest in Norway.
Finance Minister Siv Jensen partly appointed the commission because the fund’s bonds returns have been hit by low interest rates worldwide.
