‘A real wildcard’: World’s largest wealth fund issues inflation warning on hot commodity markets

The chief executive of the world's largest wealth fund says there are many wild cards in financial markets right now, butthe "big worry" for investors is what a commodities rally could mean for the inflation outlook.

Nicolai Tangen, CEO of the Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Tuesday that soaring energy and raw material prices could prove to be a significant headache for major central banksas they continue to fight inflation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the S&P GSCI, a benchmark index that tracks the performance of global commodities, had jumped 9% since the start of the year, outpacing the broad S&P 500 index.

Oil and copper prices have climbed around 13%, respectively, year-to-date, while gold has repeatedly notched fresh record highs in recent months.

Asked whether he had any concerns about hot commodity markets, NBIM's Tangen replied, "Yes, the big worry is just what that could mean for inflation right?"

He added, "So, if energy and raw material prices continue to move up, that is going to feed through to end-product prices, which are going to be higher. And that could be the real wildcard when it comes to inflation expectation."

NBIM manages the so-called Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global. The world's largest sovereign wealth fund, which was valued at 17.7 trillion kroner ($1.6 trillion) at the end of March, was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of Norway's oil and gas sector.

To date, the fund has put money in more than 8,800 companies in over 70 countries around the world, making it one of the largest investors across the globe.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde had also signaled the impact of commodity prices last week, in the broader