Sovereign Wealth Funds - new players on global financial markets

The objective of this paper is analysis of Sovereign Wealth Funds, which are becoming increasingly important players in the international monetary and financial system. Those funds are attracting growing attention not only due to last investment activities in brand-name global firms, but also due to lack of transparency and information about themselves. The article consists of two part. In the first part of the paper based on the latest literature the author presents definitions of Sovereign Wealth Funds and main factors responsible for the rise and growth of those funds. The second part of the paper deals with investment characteristics made by the largest of them. The main conclusion of this paper is that empirical analysis do not prove the thesis that investment made by SWF's has a political background. The latest available data suggest that those funds avoid investing in sensitive sectors like defense, aerospace, high technology and transportation.