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Foreign Investment: Kuwait and the Visa IPO

Posted March 13, 2008

"Because of falling prices, (the Kuwait sovereign fund) has become increasingly interested in making investments in European and U.S. financial-services and real-estate companies." — William Patalone

Blogger’s Note: William Patalone of Investor’s Daily Edge has a scoop on the Visa IPO. It seems Kuwait’s sovereign fund would like to own part of on of America’s most successful companies, and it’s looking to buy stock in next week’s IPO sale. Be sure to check out our Free Offers page for more on Investor’s Daily Edge.

by William Patalone

Baltimore – (TFN):  Kuwait’s state-run investment fund is reportedly looking to invest in the upcoming Visa Inc. (proposed NYSE symbol: V) initial public stock offering, a move that would boost the stake of government-controlled investment funds in the U.S. financial sector.

The $18.8 billion IPO - currently scheduled for next Thursday (March 20) - would be the biggest in U.S. history.

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While U.S. investors are fixated on subprime woes, China’s at it again. It’s about to launch one of its biggest initiatives in history - a $486 billion “clean up” effort that rivals the cost of the Iraq war.

Our network of insiders within the halls of Chinese government and commerce show us which companies are about to get windfall contracts, for gains of 1,046% or more in the coming months. 

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Kuwait’s investment fund, the Kuwait Investment Authority, or KIA, was founded in 1953, making it one of the oldest sovereign funds in the Middle East, if not the world. It manages an estimated $225 billion worth of assets and, because of falling prices, has become increasingly interested in making investments in European and U.S. financial services and real estate companies, KIA Managing Director Bader al-Saad told Reuters last month. (KIA’s interest in Visa was first reported in Kuwait’s local al-Qabas newspaper, and that report was subsequently picked up by Reuters.)

Foreign Investments: Growing Global Presence

Sovereign wealth funds currently control an estimated $3 trillion in cash and other assets. That’s already believed to be more than the $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion held by worldwide hedge funds (though some sources put the hedge-fund estimate as high as $5 trillion). Read on to learn more.

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