NETHERLANDS – Dutch pension funds increased their overseas investment exposure by 7% in the first six months of this year to take their total overseas investment to 67% of portfolios, according to figures from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (See table at bottom of page).

Dutch institutional investors as a whole, including life insurers, increased their foreign exposure by 9% from January to June 2001, producing a total overseas investment of e378bn.
The increase was larger for Dutch insurers, which upped foreign assets by around 20% to give a total of 27% of assets outside the Netherlands.

The strong increase in overseas investment by insurance companies was concentrated in bonds (+36%), with only a 5% increase directed into foreign shares.
Investment in government bonds fell sharply – down e10bn, while overall, domestic institutional investment fell by 5% in the first six months of the year.

Total institutional investment in the Netherlands rose by nearly e13bn over the same six month period, with the main expansion in equity investment.