Qatar Investment Authority says bourse buys strategic
DUBAI, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Qatar's state-run investment authority said on Friday it had bought 20 percent of the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and shares in Nordic bourse operator OMX OMX.ST for "strategic" reasons.
John el-Khair, an adviser at the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), told Reuters in a statement that the authority "made these investments in good companies and for strategic factors to bring benefits to local and regional economies."
He was not immediately more specific.
The QIA, which is a considering making a 10.6 billion pound ($21.4 billion) bid for British supermarket chain J. Sainsbury (SBRY.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said on Thursday it had bought an almost 10 percent stake in OMX.
Qatar, a family-ruled country of under 1 million people, has capitalised on high oil prices and natural gas reserves to become the richest Arab country on a per capita basis.
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