Mr. Wyatt questions the Treasurer regarding the impact of WA's credit rating downgrade on the WA Future Fund's investment strategy, specifically concerning the purchase of state government bonds. The Treasurer clarifies that diversification remains a key consideration and future yields are unpredictable.

AnsweredQoN 5087Legislative Assembly
Asked
24 February 2016
Portfolio
Treasurer

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the recent downgrading of Western Australia's credit rating to AA2 and ask: (a) will
this mean that the only Australian semi-government bonds that can be purchased
in the future by the Western Australian Future Fund are those issued by Western Australian Treasury Corporation; and (b) if
no to (1), what other State Government bonds does the Treasurer expect will
provide a higher yield than Western Australian bonds and why?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
23 March 2016
Response time
28 days
(a) No.  Diversification is an important consideration, consistent with the Future Fund investment strategy that factors in total portfolio risk and return.  The current Future Fund investment portfolio includes holdings of State government bonds of a number of States.
(b) It is virtually impossible to predict future yields, as these are determined by a number of factors such as credit ratings, liquidity and supply.  On any particular trade date, other semi-government bonds could offer a similar or higher yield than WATC issued bonds.

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