The recent census of owners who hold shares of Russian companies has brought to light one interesting thing. According to the annual survey by Sberbank CIB, foreign investors own around 70% of the Russian market free float. In their research, Independent capital group MidLincoln came to the conclusion that such a figure has grown by 10% since the crisis. So, before the recession of 2008, foreigners possessed 60% of Russian shares. The total amount of free float is estimated at $213 billion. European citizens are the most numerous owners on the Russian market free float; they account for over one third of the active money. British nationals possess a quarter of the stock, whereas one more third belongs to American citizens. The list of the major owners of Russian securities comprises Oppenheimer Holdings owing over $3 billion, Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund having $4.7 billion in possession, and the Government Pension Fund of Norway holding over $5 billion. Sberbank CIB specifies that such companies as Yandex, retailer Magnit, Mail.ru as well as shares of some retailers and mobile operators enjoy the most popularity among the funds that build their investment policy depending on the MSCI index. Market participants believe that such active involvement of foreign investors is mainly due to a very weak domestic market. Meanwhile, the local population does not take part in such activities and prefers to put money in real estate, foreign currencies, and other assets, not in joint investments. Despite this fact, funds operating on the Russian markets noted the record capital outflow equal to $3.3 billion in 2013. Earlier, the capital withdrawal of merely $150 billion occurred only in 2011.
