NORWAY'S FUND ENDS

REUTERS -  Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, will no longer exclude Cairn Energy Plc (CNE.L) and Kosmos Energy Ltd (KOS.N) from its portfolio of investments, the Norwegian central bank said on Tuesday.

The companies were excluded in 2016 based on advice from the fund's ethics watchdog, which found "an unacceptable risk related to petroleum prospecting off the coast of Western Sahara".

The companies made it clear they had discontinued their business in the area and the exclusion was revoked, the central bank, which manages the fund, said in a statement.

The fund was created from the proceeds of Norway's oil industry and operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament.

It owns shares in 9,100 companies, 1.4 percent of the world's listed equity, so its decisions to drop or reinstate firms from its investments carry considerable weight among investors.

-----

Earlier: 

2018, October, 26, 12:45:00 NORWAY'S FUND RETURNED 2% NORGES BANK - The Government Pension Fund Global returned 2.1 percent, or 174 billion kroner, in the third quarter of 2018.

2018, October, 17, 09:50:00 NORWAY'S DEFENCE BLOOMBERG - The wealth fund’s initial case had focused on limiting Norway’s exposure to a drop in oil prices, given its status as western Europe’s biggest petroleum producer. When the proposal was first made last year, it rocked markets, and drew responses from a number of major investors.

2018, September, 19, 13:15:00 IMF: NORWAY IS BETTER IMF - Norway is in the midst of a healthy recovery from the oil downturn, supported by positive trends in oil prices and a strengthening labor market. In addition, banks remain profitable and well capitalized. However, household debt continues to increase and house prices have resumed their rise, especially in the Oslo area, after a correction during 2017.

2018, August, 24, 11:15:00 NORWAY'S OIL GAS INVESTMENT WILL UP BY 6.2% STATISTICS NORWAY - Total investments in oil and gas activity in 2019, including pipeline transportation, are estimated at NOK 165.1 billion, which is 6.2 per cent higher than estimated in the previous quarter. The estimate for 2018 is NOK 156 billion, which equals the estimate given in the previous quarter.

2018, August, 22, 13:05:00 NORWAY'S FUND: $1 TLN + $20 BLN NORWAY'S FUND - The Government Pension Fund Global returned 1.8 percent, or 167 billion kroner, in the second quarter of 2018.

2018, August, 15, 10:35:00 NORWAY'S KEY PRIORITY BLOOMBERG - The Norwegian government in June made its first deposit into its wealth fund since the end of 2015. Now that the economy is in full recovery and the labor market is tightening, winding down fiscal stimulus is a key priority in next year’s budget, the prime minister said in an interview in Arendal, on Norway’s southern coast.

2018, June, 27, 10:35:00 U.S. WANT NORWAY'S MONEY REUTERS - Norway, which shares an Arctic border with Russia, lacks a “credible plan” how to meet NATO’s spending target, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a letter to the country’s prime minister, the Norwegian daily VG reported on Tuesday.