Sovereign Wealth Funds And Long Term Investing

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are state-owned investment funds with combined asset holdings that are fast approaching four trillion dollars. Recently emerging as a major force in global financial markets, SWFs have other distinctive features besides their state-owned status: they are mainly located in developing countries and are intimately tied to energy and commodities exports, and they carry virtually no liabilities and have little redemption risk, which allows them to take a longer-term investment outlook than most other institutional investors. Edited by a Nobel laureate, a respected academic at the Columbia Business School, and a longtime international banker and asset manager, this volume examines the specificities of SWFs in greater detail and discusses the implications of their growing presence for the world economy. Based on essays delivered in 2011 at a major conference on SWFs held at Columbia University, this volume discusses the objectives and performance of SWFs, as well as their benchmarks and governance. What are the opportunities for SWFs as long-term investments? How do they fulfill their socially responsible mission? And what role can SWFs play in fostering sustainable development and greater global financial stability? These are some of the crucial questions addressed in this one-of-a-kind volume.

In this comprehensive look at Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs)--state investment vehicles based on balance of payment surpluses--the authors explain how SWFs impact the world and the balance of economic power.

Who holds the power in financial markets? For many, the answer would probably be the large investment banks, big asset managers, and hedge funds. These are the organizations that are in the media's spotlight and whose leaders and employees command outsized salaries and bonuses. They are the supposed leading edge of global finance and their power seems almost absolute, even as questions abound about their social and economic utility. But more and more asset owners are confronting the status quo, the power to exact high fees and the focus on the short term. The New Frontier Investors chronicles the rise of this new group of long horizon asset owners that includes some of the world's largest pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments. These asset owners are driving the business of asset management to a new frontier by retaking responsibility of the end-to-end management of their investment portfolios and by re-conceptualizing investment decision-making. The lessons illustrated in The New Frontier Investors fly in the face of conventional wisdom, which has it that these asset owners are at a disadvantage to the private sector fund managers and other service providers. These asset owners are supposedly not able to attract talent nor do they have the organizational capabilities to compete. That many are located far from the markets in which they invest only exacerbates the problem. But this is incorrect. This expanding group of asset owners is learning how to make the most of their scale and long time horizons, finding new ways to attract talent, to collaborate, and to build greater alignment with the users of capital. They are not at a disadvantage. They are at an advantage. The New Frontier Investors is essential reading for anyone wanting to see a change in global financial markets and the professionalization of asset owners worldwide, from public pension funds and sovereign wealth funds to foundations and endowments. It is thus required reading for the senior executives and employees working in the field of beneficiary institutional investment, as well as government officials and others that have a stake in the design and governance of beneficiary financial institutions and long-term capital.

The worldwide rise of sovereign wealth funds is emblematic of the ongoing transformation of nation-state economic prospects. Sovereign Wealth Funds maps the global footprints of these financial institutions, examining their governance and investment management, and issues of domestic and international legitimacy. Through a variety of case studies--from the China Investment Corporation to the funds of several Gulf states--the authors show that the forces propelling the adoption and development of sovereign wealth funds vary by country. The authors also show that many of these investment institutions have identifiable commonalities of form and function that match the core institutions of Western financial markets. The authors suggest that the international legitimacy of sovereign wealth funds is based on the degree to which their design and governance match Western expectations about investment management. Undercutting commonplace assumptions about the emerging world of the twenty-first century, the authors demonstrate that even small countries with large and globally oriented sovereign wealth funds are likely to play a significant role in international relations. Sovereign Wealth Funds considers how such financial organizations have altered not only the face of finance, but also the international geopolitical landscape.

The book covers a wide range of topics of relevance to policymakers in countries that have sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and those that receive SWF investments. Renowned experts in the field have contributed chapters. The book is organized around four themes: (1) the role and macrofinancial linkages of SWFs, (2) institutional factors, (3) investment approaches and financial markets, and (4) the postcrisis outlook. The book also discusses the challenges facing sovereign wealth funds in the coming years, from an inside perspective on countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Norway, Russia, and New Zealand. Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds will contribute to a further understanding of the nature, strategies and behavior of SWFs and the environment in which they operate, as their importance is likely to grow in the coming years.

Suverénní fondy (Sovereign Wealth Funds, SWF) se v posledních letech stávají významnou součástí globálního finančního systému. Tyto instituce spravovaly ke konci roku 2013 více než 6 bilionů USD. SWF jsou státem vlastněné fondy založené za různým makroekonomickým účelem. Obvykle jsou financovány cizoměnovými příjmy států, které jsou následně investovány v zahraničí. Tato monografie se zabývá globální SWF z teoretického i praktického pohledu. Dále je zde diskutována teoretická možnost založení SWF v České republice. Autoři však dospívají k závěru, že po vzniku SWF není v naší zemi dostatečná poptávka ani ze strany politiků, ani ze strany voličů. Kniha je psána srozumitelným jazykem, a tudíž vhodná pro odbornou i širší veřejnost

This much-needed practical guide covers everything you need to further your understanding of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) - the state-owned investment funds.

Bassan provides a remarkable compendium on the relevant laws, regulations, and standards affecting sovereign wealth funds. These institutions are now at the very centre of the global financial system and demand greater appreciation of their distinctive qualities as well as their likely implications for nation-states and the global economy. Bassan s book is a unique contribution to understanding the governance and regulation of these institutions and will be an important resource book for those who must grapple with the growing power and global scope of these institutions. Gordon L. Clark, University of Oxford, UK and Monash University, Australia This book covers a true vacuum in international legal literature thanks to its multi-facet in-depth analysis of SWFs, a new type of protagonists of transnational investments in the global economy. It analyses critically the various approaches put forth to pinpoint real nature, legal set-up, relevant features in the diverse operating activity of SWF in the perspective of addressing the issue of the most appropriate regulation that would ensure two apparently conflicting goals: the protection of SWF investments and of host states legitimate concerns for vital national political or economic interests and the diverse activities. On this basis, the author reviews the various international hard and soft law regulations proposed and the relevance of existing disciplines including Bilateral Investment Treaties. The full coverage of the issue of sovereign immunity in respect of SWF is a useful completion of the author s analysis. Giorgio Sacerdoti, Bocconi University, Italy This book provides a definition and classification for Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) and discusses its phenomenon within the legal context. It identifies the rules applicable to SWFs and focuses on the bilateral relationships between states. In eight extensive chapters, Fabio Bassan considers whether SWFs may enjoy immunity with respect to host state measures as well as protection in Bilateral Investment Treaties Written from an international law perspective, The Law of Sovereign Wealth Funds will appeal to students of international business, international organizations, banks and governments.