5 nations with huge sway on Wall Street

Bavaria · 2014-06-16T12:07:39+00:00

Street Forget hedge funds. The world's biggest investors are sovereign wealth funds. When these countries move money around, the financial world listens. 1 of 7 next Who are the real masters of the universe on Wall Street? It's not hedge fund titans or investment bank CEOs. Rather, it's the pension and sovereign wealth funds of faraway lands, who manage massive amounts of money on behalf of their governments and people. With billions -- even trillions -- to invest, the markets listen when these nations make a move. Check out which countries double as the the world's biggest investors and see how they put their money to work. Japan's Government Pension Investment back next Assets: $1.27 trillion Notable Investments: Japan's colossal pension investment fund, which manages money on behalf of the nation's retirees, has largely missed out on the global bull market, including the rapid rise of its own country's stock market. That's because the fund has over half its money in its own domestic bonds, which offer meager yields. But that's all about to change. Japanese officials have recently said they plan to boost their holdings of Japanese and foreign stocks in an attempt to capture bigger gains and ensure promised payouts their retired citizens. 5 nations with huge sway on Wall Street Forget hedge funds. The world's biggest investors are sovereign wealth funds. When these countries move money around, the financial world listens. 3 of 7 Norway's Government Pension Fund back next Assets: $878 billion Notable Investments: Unlike Japan, Norways's pension fund is already a big player in the stock market, with over 60% of its assets invested in publicly traded companies. It recently made a bold bet on Greece as one of the major buyers of the National Bank of Greece's (NBG) 2.5 billion stock offering last month. The fund is also a proponent of transparent markets. It trades with Brad Katsuyama's IEX Group, which made news earlier in the year after it was profiled in Michael Lewis's "Flash Boys." In the book, Lewis claims the market is rigged by a shadowy network of high frequency trading firms. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority back next Assets: $773 billion Notable Investments: The sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has a healthily diversified portfolio, with public and private investments spanning the globe. In addition to the normal mix of stocks and bonds, the fund has money in hedge funds, real estate, and private equity. In April, it was part of an investment group that paid $6.6 billion to buy Queensland Motorways, which owns and operates a number of roadways in Australia. The Abu Dhabi investment authority is also getting in on the venture capital game. In March, it invested in Fizzy Living, a hip UK-based real estate startup that rents apartments to young professionals. Saudi Arabia's SAMA Foreign Holdings back next Assets: $738 billion Notable Investments: Saudi Arabia's sovereign fund derives most of its wealth from the country's vast oil production and exportation activities. Despite its size, the fund is pretty conservative when it comes to investing. It has small stakes in some stocks, and spends most of its money on social development within Saudi Arabia and the region. China Investment Corporation back next Assets: $575 billion Notable Investments: China's largest sovereign fund is getting cozy with Russia. In June, it established a joint investment fund with the former Soviet Union, with the goal of investing in businesses across Russia and China. With a high rate of visitor exchange between the two countries, the joint entity, known as the Russia-China Investment Fund, is investing heavily in tourism and housing infrastructure in both nations. Outside of Russia, China Investment Corporation bought a $40 million stake in Chinese healthcare provider iKang (KANG) at the company's initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in April.

Thread starter Bavaria
Start date Jun 16, 2014

Bavaria

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5 nations with huge sway on Wall Street

Bavaria

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