Crude Oil Rich Sovereign Wealth Fund Countries Are Also Taking Losses

A combination of falling crude oil prices and falling US and world equity markets has caused stocks over the last four days to lose almost a quarter of their value in Dubai and 17 percent in Saudi Arabian markets, just less than a week after there was an expectation that these markets were immune from the financial problems in the West (see Washington Post article). Some stress that the problems in the Gulf are more structural, with the lack of transparency and information resulting in the markets being impacted more by unsubstantiated rumors and panic selling. Nonetheless, the level of exposure is still believed to be significant. Losses from sovereign wealth fund investing in the US and elsewhere are yet to be disclosed, but are expected to be significant, causing many funds and their capital to sit on the sidelines as the credit crisis to unfold.