Norway’s $800 Billion Question Is Exactly Like Yours

Norway’s $800 Billion Question Is Exactly Like Yours (Bloomberg)

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has grown to $800 billion and, according to the country’s central bank Governor Oeystein Olsen, it needs more direction if it is to continue to grow. However, Finance Minister Siv Jensen is more concerned that the fund — which has quadrupled in size since 2005 — not lose value. Her hope for a “… predictable and stable investment strategy for the fund” may fly in the face of the fund’s mandate, which calls for 60 percent investment in equities, 35 percent in bonds and 5 percent in real estate. Ultimately, the question of where to invest next will fall to fund CEO Yngve Slyngstad, a man who’s convinced that equities are heading for a correction. In the end, Norway’s investors are not unlike U.S. investors, wondering where to turn with newfound wealth, and fearing making a misstep.