Survey of Swedish portfolio holdings as of 1999 - Foreign shares and mutual funds

Riksbank’s annual survey shows that at the end of 1999 the market value of Swedish portfolio holdings of foreign shares and mutual funds totalled SEK 935 billion, which is an increase of over SEK 361 billion or 63 per cent from the previous year-end. One factor behind the increase is the number of Swedish companies that were transferred to foreign ownership in 1999. Of the total increase, about SEK 110 billion came from share price and exchange rate movements and SEK 251 billion from the net acquisition of foreign shares and units in mutual funds.

The net acquisition of directly-owned shares accounted for SEK 188 billion of the total increase of SEK 361 billion. The largest relative increase came from mutual funds; holdings in foreign funds registered in Sweden more than doubled but holdings in mutual funds registered abroad decreased.

The report in Swedish can be ordered from the Information Riksbank by e-mail (info@riksbank.se, telephone (+46 8 787 01 00) or fax (+46 8 787 05 26); it can also be downloaded from the Riksbank’s website: www.riksbank.se(select Publkationer in the main menu and then Undersökningar from the list). An English translation will be available shortly.

For further information, please contact:
Anna Lindahl telephone +46 8 787 01 90 or
Roger Josefsson telephone +46 8 787 07 43