Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, The Largest In The World, Hits Record $1 Trillion

The wealth of a country is as important as its overall sovereignty. But for a country to really emerge in success, it must have both of these elements consistently. This is where sovereign wealth fund enters. It’s basically a state-owned investment fund and/or entity established on a lot of factors (e.g. official foreign currency operations, balance payment surpluses, resource exports, etc.).

Interestingly, a nation just managed to reach the largest sovereign wealth fund in history. It’s none other than Norway, and, for the first time, it sits at US$1 trillion value. The historic figure happened during the rising of the global stock markets and euro.

There’s definitely a reason for every Norwegian to celebrate!

The fund, in particular, became a reality sometime in 1998 in hopes to save oil and gas revenue for the sake of future generations. Apparently, almost a decade after, the worth is now at 250 percent of Norway’s overall GDP (gross domestic product). The forecast, on the other hand, could be anywhere around 130 percent come 2020s.

That’s equivalent to $185,000 for each man, woman, and child in Norway.

It is worth noting, however, that the fund can only be invested in bonds, stocks, and real estate abroad. It won’t be used for anti-personnel landmines, or tobacco investments. These ethical reasons don’t include sixty-six companies, though.

Norway’s sovereign wealth fund exponentially grew during the discovery of North Sea oil in the late 1960s. Ever since, the country has become a major oil exporter outside OPEC. The country’s oil production is estimated at 1.65 million barrels on a regular basis and also provides 24 percent of the European Union’s gas imports.

Norway became one of the largest oil exporters after the discovery of North Sea Oil in the late 1960s.

Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund controls more than 1.3 percent of internationally listed stocks. As for the country’s population of 5.3 million, it’s less than 0.1 percent of the world’s people.

Like most countries in the world, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund was created through commodity exports (oil production).

The authorities have the freedom to use a certain amount of the overall value of the sovereign wealth fund. This is to primarily prevent the possibility of experiencing a nationwide economy overheating. Currently, they’re allowed to utilize at least three percent of the fund’s overall value annually.