Foreign investors own majority of Danish stocks

For the first time ever, foreign investors now own a larger share of stock in Danish firms than domestic investors, according to figures released by the Danish Stock Exchange Wednesday.
As of the end of April this year 54.5 percent of shares trading on the Copenhagen bourse, worth an estimated 1.018 billion Danish kroner (about 185.6 million U.S. dollars), had been purchased from abroad.
"This is truly a historical turning point," said Steen Thomsen, a professor at Copenhagen Business School. "Throughout the years financial markets have become more international and what we are seeing is that big investors are increasingly spreading their investments around the globe."
In 2005, foreign investments accounted for just over 26 percent of the market. And even though Danish shares as a whole have grown increasingly attractive over the last decade, a significant portion of foreign interested was directed at a single company.
"Novo Nordisk is a significant part of this development he company," said Michael Borre, the lead analyst with Nordea bank, "Interest in the company has been growing immensely in recent years and that makes up a big part of the Danish market. This is a stock that foreign investors are often trying to acquire."