Posted by AJ on January 4, 2008
FYI to keep everyone in the loop (and to put me on a schedule) you should expect the blog to be updated according to the following timetable:
- Weekly: 2-4 news roundups and/or linkfests.
- Monthly: 1-2 analytical pieces and/or commentaries.
- Monthly: 1-2 SWF/host country profiles.
- Monthly: 2-4 reviews of past SWF-related research reports and deals.
- Weekly: Several potpourri entries with ideas for my readers to muse and use.
Also, in the near future I plan to put together a blogroll and add several other useful resources to the site.
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Posted by AJ on January 1, 2008
I started this blog because I wholeheartedly believe that Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) are the next big phenomenon in global finance. At the launch the main objectives of this blog are:
- Tracking the latest SWF developments with frequent roundups of breaking news.
- Analysis of the latest issues facing the SWF industry.
- Profiling SWFs and their host countries.
- Occasional editorial commentary on SWF issues and/or related developments.
I intended to start this blog in October when I registered it with WordPress and purchased the domain name excessliquidity.org but was too bogged down with work and other matters to actually get the ball rolling.
In the coming weeks, I hope to cover some of the major reports on SWFs (which I hope to provide on this blog via PDF) that were recently released and noteworthy SWF news items from the 2nd half of 2007. This will be in addition to my regular coverage of the SWF industry.
Also in the coming weeks, I hope to build the blog out, give it a more professional look, and organize it to make it more user-friendly.
For those that are curious and in the interest of full disclosure: I’ve worked in the investment banking industry and have helped pitch deals to SWFs; my current job allows me to dabble in the worlds of public policy, economic development, venture capital, and private equity; all of my friends call me AJ, if your reading this blog I consider you a friend and you can feel free to call me that as well 
.
Welcome to ExcessLiquidity.org!
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Posted by AJ on January 1, 2008
Not many would dispute that 2007 was the year of the credit crunch. The fallout from this past summer’s liquidity crisis put the phrase “Sovereign Wealth Fund” front and center on the global financial stage. In the 2nd half of 2007 alone, Sovereign Wealth Funds invested over $40 billion taking stakes in Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Bear Stearns, Barclays, HSBC, Blackstone, and China Development Bank.
You don’t have to go out on too big of a limb to predict that the table has been set for 2008 to be the year of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF). Market volatility from recessionary risks in the US and the continued fallout from the US subprime mortgage crisis should present many attractive opportunities for those with the means to buy in 2008. With an estimated $3 trillion in assets currently under management, expected to grow to $13 trillion in the next decade as SWF countries benefit from record high natural resource prices and record export surpluses, SWFs should have plenty of excess liquidity in 2008 and beyond.
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