This transcript details the investment strategies and management of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (often referred to as the Oil Fund), which was established to manage the surplus revenues from Norway's oil and gas production.
The fund was established in 1990, six years prior to the first inflow. The fund's primary goal is to maximize returns within moderate risk parameters to ensure its long-term sustainability. Since its inception, the fund has received approximately 5 trillion Krone from oil and gas revenues, but the vast majority of its value, approximately 14 trillion Krone, has been generated through investment returns.
To safeguard the Norwegian mainland economy, the fund is invested exclusively outside of Norway. Its investments are diversified across North America, Europe, and Asia, primarily allocated as follows: 72% in equities, 26% in fixed income, and 2% in real estate. The fund employs an automatic rebalancing mechanism to maintain an equity allocation of around 70%, selling equities after market increases and buying them after declines. The fixed income portfolio primarily consists of treasury bonds issued in euros, dollars, pounds, and yen from developed markets.
The fund also invests in approximately 900 properties globally, focusing on offices, retail, and logistics sectors in major cities like London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Tokyo. Furthermore, it holds investments in nearly 9,000 listed companies across 71 countries, owning an average of 1.5% of all listed companies, making it one of the largest single owners of companies worldwide.
Equity management is based on two core strategies: market exposure and securities selection based on fundamental research. These strategies aim to achieve broad market exposure while enhancing returns through company-specific analysis. Securities selection is conducted by both internal and external managers.
The internal managers, located in Oslo, London, New York, and Singapore, are organized into global sector teams and focus primarily on developed markets, particularly large-cap companies. The fund also employs external managers in segments and markets where they believe they can generate excess returns. This includes a focus on emerging markets and small-cap companies in Asia, where managers are based locally in countries such as Indonesia, India, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea. In Europe, the fund utilizes a mix of locally based, country-focused small-cap managers, as well as regional and sector managers. The key is to find specialists with deep knowledge of specific areas. Currently, the fund works with 110 managers in 50 different cities globally, emphasizing the importance of local knowledge.
These external managers build portfolios based on extensive local knowledge and research, maintaining regular communication with the companies they invest in through frequent site visits. The fund's goal is to generate excess returns, and it has achieved an annualized excess return of 1.8% since its beginning, net of fees, which translates to 90 billion Krone. The fees paid have been relatively low, averaging 0.3%, allowing the fund to retain 80% of the excess return.
The fund believes that external managers mitigate risks by avoiding companies with problematic business models and weak corporate governance, particularly in markets with higher ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) risks. ESG considerations are integrated into the selection and monitoring process, with expectations communicated to managers annually. Local managers have avoided 75% of the companies in their local benchmarks due to ESG concerns.
The fund's strategy is dynamic and evolves with market conditions and the fund's size. Key elements remain constant, which is; all mandates are equity only, they are based on deep fundamental research, and they are all on segregated accounts. This allows the fund to monitor all holdings and changes in portfolios daily. It retains the right to terminate accounts at any time and defines the investment universe.
The fund does not rely on historical performance data but focuses on the expected future research and performance. Decisions on hiring managers are made by individual portfolio managers rather than investment committees, promoting individual accountability. The fund also eschews the use of consultants, preferring to conduct its own in-depth research.
The fund employs a structured selection process, starting with a questionnaire to potential managers. On-site meetings are conducted to assess the team and their processes, with multiple meetings held before selection. Quarterly meetings are held to review portfolios, discuss individual companies, and assess ESG considerations. The fund seeks managers with a creative, distinct view of the world, who are curious, inquisitive, and willing to challenge conventional wisdom. It also favors small, privately owned organizations where there is a better alignment of interests and stable teams. The investment decision-making process emphasizes personal responsibility and accountability, avoiding rigid investment committees.
The monitoring process is comprehensive, with access to all holdings and changes in the portfolio. Trading activity is closely scrutinized, and performance, risk, trading, and holdings are analyzed. The goal is to optimize the portfolio of managers to maximize expected return per dollar of fees. The fund actively manages its portfolio, adding and terminating mandates regularly.