AN INNOVATIVE REGION THAT BRIMS WITH INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
SCANDINAVIA is a region known for its innovation and is home to plenty of well-known technology and energy companies. Although the Nordics are often overlooked, its laws and regulations are encouraging to investors and the region proposes some interesting investment opportunities.
REGIONAL GROWTH
Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland – all four markets belong to the OMX exchange, which over the last 10 years has seen its list of companies grow by 1 per cent. However, during that period, the capitalisation of those listed companies has increased by 14 per cent each year, telling you something about the economic growth of the region.
The national domestic product of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway recently reached a combined total of €17bn – not an amount to sniff at.
SWEDISH RETURNS
In 2010, Sweden was the best performing European market. Some well-known companies, including Volvo, also achieved impressive returns for investors. The best performing Swedish stock of 2010 was Lundin Petroleum, an oil company traded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
NORWAY’S ENERGY
One of the best-known Norwegian companies is Statoil, the world’s 13th-largest oil and gas company. Statoil is majority government-owned and is managed by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Last year, it was ranked the largest company in the Nordic region by market capitalisation, profit and revenue. It has operations in both Scandinavia and abroad, as well as a fleet of 2,000 petrol stations across the region.
GLOBAL REACH
A little research can go a long way and there are plenty of opportunities for investors interested in Northern Europe. The rest of the area is home to some world-famous names. For Finland – Nokia – for Sweden – Ikea and Ericsson – and for Denmark – Carlsberg.