• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 2 hours GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 27 mins Could Someone Give Me Insights on the Future of Renewable Energy?
  • 11 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 1 day "What’s In Store For Europe In 2023?" By the CIA (aka RFE/RL as a ruse to deceive readers)
  • 10 hours e-truck insanity
  • 4 days Bankruptcy in the Industry
  • 22 hours Oil Stocks, Market Direction, Bitcoin, Minerals, Gold, Silver - Technical Trading <--- Chris Vermeulen & Gareth Soloway weigh in
  • 4 days The United States produced more crude oil than any nation, at any time.
Coal Continues to Thrive Despite Pledges for Clean Energy

Coal Continues to Thrive Despite Pledges for Clean Energy

Despite global commitments to clean…

The Global Economic System is Reaching Its Limits

The Global Economic System is Reaching Its Limits

The world's economic myths, especially…

Norway’s $1-Trillion Fund Asked To Assess Aramco IPO Impact

Norway’s Finance Ministry sent a letter to Norges Bank on Tuesday, asking it to asses the impact that the planned listing of Saudi Aramco would have on the benchmark equity index of the world’s largest wealth fund, the Norges Bank-managed US$1-trillion Government Pension Fund Global (GFPG).  

The Norwegian Finance Ministry made the request to Norges Bank as part of the review process that will ultimately determine whether the world’s biggest wealth fund should continue to invest in energy stocks.

In a shock announcement in November last year, Norway’s wealth fund recommended the removal of oil and gas stocks—more than US$35 billion worth of shares—from the fund’s equity benchmark index to make Norway’s wealth and economy less vulnerable to a permanent drop in oil and gas prices.

As part of the assessment of the investments, the Norwegian finance ministry appointed today an expert group to review whether the fund should invest in energy stocks. The fund’s stock investments in this sector accounts for around 4 percent of the total value of the Fund, or around US$38 billion (300 billion Norwegian crowns), the ministry said on Tuesday.  

Related: Is This The Beginning Of A Downturn In Oil?

Referring to Aramco, the finance ministry is asking Norges Bank to explain the impact that a listing of Saudi Aramco will have on the fund’s benchmark index. The reason for this is that Saudi Aramco—when it goes public—will own much larger petroleum reserves than oil firms that are currently listed, which will increase the risk from the return on those resources, according to the Norwegian finance ministry.

Saudi Arabia plans to list 5 percent of Aramco in the second half of this year, and if the Saudi valuation for the entire company of US$2 trillion stands, the Kingdom could reap as much as US$100 billion from selling 5 percent of its oil giant. Saudi officials continue to reaffirm that the listing is slated for the second half of 2018, dismissing media speculation about possible delays.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

ADVERTISEMENT

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:



Join the discussion | Back to homepage



Leave a comment

Leave a comment

EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News