Global Investing

The easing of the credit crisis is giving way for a new generation of sovereign wealth funds.

Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Bolivia, Nigeria, Canada are just some of the places where a public debate has begun on establishing some form of sovereign wealth fund. And even Scotland is now looking at establishing such a fund to manage oil wealth.

China is also close to launching an agency to restructure and consolidate state-owned enterprises -- dubbed by Chinese media as CIC 2.0 in reference to the country's $200 bln SWF China Investment Corp.

Ashby Monk, expert on SWFs and research fellow at Oxford University, says the crisis may have highlighted the importance of having SWFs and having extra cash to deal with the emergency.

"There is this appetite for governments to set up new SWFs. Certain countries have taken considerable utility from having SWFs and a pool of cash during the crisis," he says.

Is Beijing trying to get its hands on the secret brewing recipe for Guinness?

China's sovereign wealth fund has bought a 1.1 percent stake -- worth around 240 million pounds -- in drinks group Diageo, which owns the legendary Irish stout.

China isn't yet among the top five markets for Guinness -- although Johnnie Walker whisky is apparently a favourite -- but the stout does already feature among Diageo's top brands in South East Asia and Japan.

Officials at China Investment Corp (CIC) probably felt like a stiff drink or a long pint of Guinness after the roasting the fund got for the performance of its investments in Blackstone and Morgan Stanley.