Head of Norges Bank Investment Management Yngve Slyngstad comments on the fund's performance so far this year in Oslo, Norway March 26,2020. — NTB Scanpix/Ole Berg-Rusten via Reuters
Sticking with equity investments and risking more losses is not an option for some funds from oil producing nations. Their governments are facing a financial double-whammy — falling revenues due to the spiralling oil price and rocketing spending as administrations rush out emergency budgets. A source at an oil-based sovereign fund said it had been gradually raising its liquidity position since oil prices began drifting lower from their most recent peak above US$70 a barrel in October 2018.
On Thursday, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund said it had lost US$124 billion so far this year as equity markets sunk but its outgoing CEO Yngve Slyngstad said it would, at some point, start buying stocks to get its portfolio back to its target equity allocation of 70 per cent from 65 per cent currently.
Gulf sovereign wealth funds could see their assets decline by US$296 billion by the end of this year, according to Garbis Iradian, chief Middle East and North Africa economist at the Institute of International Finance .