World's Biggest Wealth Fund Sparks Outrage Across the Atlantic
Norway's decision to divest from Israeli stocks has attracted attention from US lawmakers
www.bloomberg.comHere are the latest public highlights on Norway’s sovereign wealth fund (Norges Bank Investment Management, NBIM) based on recent reporting:
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Year 2025 results: NBIM reported a strong annual return led by equities, with the fund's size around 21.2–21.3 trillion Norwegian kroner by year-end, and a multi-hundred-billion kroner profit for the year. This underscored a continued swing in tech, financials, and miners driving performance, though results were noted as slightly below a benchmark in some reports.[2][3][4]
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Q3 2025 performance: The fund posted a positive quarter, aided by equity gains in materials, mining, and telecommunications sectors, with overall results showing gains of roughly 5–6% for that quarter and a broad diversification across regions and sectors.[1]
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2025 annual context: Despite record profits in the prior year, NBIM highlighted that profits can be volatile and cautioned that such high returns may not be sustainable every year, reflecting ongoing market uncertainty and the fund’s long-term diversification strategy.[4]
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Governance and strategy notes: Norwegian authorities signaled ongoing discussions about investment policy and potential rule reviews to balance ethical considerations with returns, including reviews of holdings in certain sectors or regions as geopolitical and ethical considerations evolve (policy reviews were being discussed in late 2024 into 2025).[6][10]
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Structural notes: The fund continues to manage a highly diversified portfolio across global equities, fixed income, real assets, and increasingly ESG-oriented exposures, with notable stakes in large global names through broad index and active strategies.[3][7]
Illustration: If you’d like, I can generate a concise chart showing NBIM’s estimated annual return by year (2023–2025) and the fund size trajectory in kroner, using the latest publicly reported figures. I can also pull a brief table summarizing key contributors to 2025 performance (e.g., tech, banks, mining) and their approximate impact. Let me know your preference and I’ll prepare visuals.
Citations:
- NBIM 2025 annual return and fund size context[2][3]
- 2025 quarterly performance and sector drivers[1][3]
- Governance discussions and policy reviews[10][6]
- Long-term diversification and asset mix notes[7][3]