Business & Finance
Norway's sovereign wealth fund proposes cutting U.S. Treasury holdings
Norges Bank Investment Management plans to reduce its overall government bond allocation to diversify risk and seek higher yields.
The short version
- Norway's $2.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund recommended reducing government bonds from 70% to 50% of its fixed-income portfolio in a proposal to the country's finance ministry.
- The adjustment would gradually lower its U.S. Treasury allocation from 34.1% to 21.9% while expanding corporate debt, mortgage-backed securities, and Japanese government bonds.
- The proposal awaits consideration by Norway's finance ministry as global markets evaluate shifting demand among major sovereign bondholders.
Key facts
- Norges Bank Investment Management proposed reducing the government bond subindex in its fixed-income portfolio from 70% to 50%.[CNBC]
- Under the recommendation, the fund's holdings of U.S. Treasurys would decline from 34.1% to 21.9%, and euro area holdings would drop from 16.8% to 14.1%.[CNBC]
- The plan would raise the share of non-government U.S. fixed income from 16.2% to 27.6% and increase Japanese government bond holdings from 4.6% to 7.4%.[CNBC]
- Fund leadership proposed switching from GDP-weighting to market-value weighting for government bonds due to elevated debt levels across developed economies.[CNBC]
- The fund manages approximately $2.3 trillion in assets, consisting of about $1.65 trillion in equities and $592 billion in fixed income.[CNBC]
What remains uncertain
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.