Sovereign wealth per capita
August 17th, 2008 Posted in SWF
Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are not new, by any means, but their degree of asset accumulation and willingness to deploy it overseas, is unprecedented. And this is appreciated, by global investment and commercial banks, especially those in the U.S. SWFs are increasingly important players in equity markets and are not only providing some support on the “buy” side, but also are poised to serve as stable shareholders. A great example of this is in Japan, where SWFs have been signaling significant increases to their allocations. Earlier this month, Kuwait (KIA) announced plans to triple its investment in Japan to $48B. On the flip side, it goes without saying that there are tremendous positive implications for SWF domestic-oriented investment. And on that note, take a look at SWF assets (top-5) and corresponding wealth per capita (clip thumbnail image to enlarge).
Chart Sources: The Economist, Govt. of Norway Pension Fund, Reuters and PRC Embassy in U.S.
