Sunday 29 March 2009

Gulf sovereign wealth funds see further fall

The global financial distress has inflicted heavy losses on state funds from the Gulf oil heavyweights and their assets will likely erode further in 2009 because of low oil prices, according to a US study.

Even if oil prices averaged around $75 (Dh275.49) in the next few years, the asset portfolio of the sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) in the region could still suffer as high public spending means little surplus will be left for those funds, said the study by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

In a working paper by two of its experts, CFR said the assets of those funds, especially the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), had largely been overstated, estimating Adia's funds at below $300 billion.

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