Norway called for a temporary suspension of the Sovereign Wealth Fund's ethical guidelines to exempt it from selling $230 billion worth of technology stocks.

Norway's Finance Minister, Jan Stoltenberg, stated that the government has temporarily suspended the ethical guidelines that restrict the country's sovereign wealth fund following concerns that the fund may heavily sell off its $230 billion worth of investments in technology companies after selling off its stake in Caterpillar. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, the largest in the world at $2.1 trillion, faced pressure to divest from Caterpillar after it was used in the Gaza conflict. Stoltenberg mentioned that this decision could serve as a "template" for future actions, where the fund may be required to sell off holdings in profitable companies. Stoltenberg's remarks underscore the disruptive impact of the fund's ethical investment principles in light of conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the Trump administration's attacks on climate and diversity policies.