Economy

The King sells off Wallenberg shares – first time since 2005

The Royal Court sold shares in Investor—the Wallenberg family’s investment company—via the Galliera Fund and the company Gluonen in September, according to *Affärsvärlden*. In total, shares worth just over SEK 16 million were sold.

This marks the first time since 2005 that shares in Investor have been sold.

"The King and I might discuss stocks and the like, but it is crucial that we never make transactions based on the views of our principals," says Jan Lindman, the Royal Court’s financial director.

Ikea cutbacks
New Ikea boss focuses on mini-stores in Sweden

Sara Del Fabbro took over as CEO of Ikea’s Swedish operations this past summer. One of her plans to boost sales is to open more mini-stores, she says in an interview with *Dagens Industri*.

"The new format will be based on 'plug-and-play' modules, allowing us to expand in months rather than years," says Del Fabbro.

Future of the mining industry
Analysts: Sponge iron presents a great opportunity for LKAB

State-owned mining giant LKAB is under pressure due to falling iron ore prices on the global market. This is driven by a surplus resulting from a combination of high supply and stagnant demand, Christian Kopfer, a commodities analyst at Arctic Securities, tells *Dagens Nyheter*.

He believes LKAB needs to find a new market niche by focusing on more environmentally friendly iron production.

"Demand for sponge iron is set to rise sharply in Europe over the next 10–20 years." That should be a good opportunity for LKAB, says Kopfer.