Equities
HKMA exchange fund clocks 10-year high returns
Returns driven by strong global economy and financial markets; 7.1% figure highest since 2007
Asset manager of the year: BlackRock
BlackRock delivered some innovative new products and a highly regarded training scheme to build on its already strong foundation in reserve management services
Norges Bank advises removal of oil and gas stock from government fund
Norway’s SWF held $36.5 billion in equities in the sector at the end of September 2017
SNB profits hit record high
Swiss franc’s depreciation and high stock prices fuel the rise in revenues in the first three quarters
ECB taper unlikely to upset major European equity investors
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is boosted by its €200 billion investment in European stocks
MAS’s Chia points to the value of EM bonds
Singapore’s reserves and markets chief says interest in onshore Chinese bonds may act as a catalyst for emerging market bonds at a time when the outlook for yields from traditional reserve assets remains low
Future Fund takes cautious stance despite strong returns
Australian sovereign wealth fund exceeds benchmark return but managers stress need for “discipline” amid reach for yield
Norway’s pension fund grows on rising equities
The world’s largest sovereign wealth fund grows, thanks to European equities, but low rates and oil prices remain long-term challenges
How to divest public sector assets
Exit programmes for public sector assets could create uncertainty through supply/demand imbalance, but a tap facility – a private sector triggered exit programme – could be the solution, writes Hon Cheung, chief investment strategist, official…
HKMA’s Exchange Fund posts record high investment income
Strong performance in equities and currency effects drove record investment result in the first half of 2017
Central banks build expertise in move to riskier reserve tranches
Growing popularity of reserves tranching is stretching central banks’ capabilities, a new report finds, but they are turning to asset managers and other central banks for help
Riksbank paper finds ‘significant’ gains from faster trading
Faster trading systems have eliminated arbitrage opportunities, improving market efficiency and quality, authors say
Norges Bank reserves swell, thanks to equity returns
Fixed-income portfolio returns were essentially zero in Q1, but the central bank is able to achieve returns on equity holdings
Bank of Italy paper finds no evidence of asset over-valuation
Researchers look at data from eurozone, Japan and US from 1980 to 2017