Global allocation of capital and fluctuations in asset prices are increasingly influenced
by the activities of Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). The Santiago Principles called for higher
transparency, stressing that SWFs should exhibit clearer governance standards and sound
portfolio management principles. Although asset allocation strategies for these funds are not
known, SWFs are suspected to follow other factors besides risk-return objectives. This paper
attempts to shed light on some of these concerns. The fear that sovereigns with political
motivations use their financial power to secure large stakes in Western companies is shown to be
unfounded. We find that SWF investment decisions do not differ greatly from those of other
wealth managers. We propose to use mutual funds’ investments as a benchmark for SWF
investment allocations. We collect data of SWF and mutual fund equity investment at the firm
level and analyse these investments on a geographical and sector basis. Moreover, we compare
target investments for these two groups by looking at the political regime in the sending and
recipient country, under the hypothesis that this variable is not determinant for SWF
investments. Finally, we provide a comparison of SWFs and other public funds based on
governance features related to investment. We argue that double standards for regulation should
be avoided and efforts to achieve higher transparency should be made by all investing actors.
Are Sovereign Wealth Funds' Investments Politically Biased?
A Comparison with Mutual Funds
Working paper
OECD Development Centre Working Papers
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Abstract
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4 October 2021
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