Recent stories from sustg

  • Underground in Arabia
     

    Born and raised in Dhahran, I thought I had seen most of the natural wonders of the Eastern kingdom from the towering dunes of the Rub’ Al Khali to the pristine reefs of the Gulf, so it was a true surprise to read the manuscript for John Pint’s Underground in Arabia. I had visited the […]

     
  • Al Jubayl Saudi Arabia As Seen From Orbit at Night
     

    The city of Al Jubayl (or Jubail) is located on the coast of Saudi Arabia, along the Persian Gulf. The city has a history extending back more than 7,000 years, but since 1975 it has been associated with the petrochemical, fertilizer, and steel industries. At night, these industrial areas form a brightly lit region (image […]

     
  • The Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh is Arguably the World’s Nicest Hotel
     

    If you look at pictures of the new Ritz Carlton, it might not look like it belongs in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Not because the arguably world’s nicest hotel isn’t worthy for the Kingdom, but because the style of the hotel makes it look like a king’s palace in old Europe, with a […]

     
  • The Importance of Economic Diversification for Saudi Arabia
     

    In a clear break from past trends, Saudi Arabia’s private sector is growing. This trend can be in part explained by the increase in bank lending to private sector. In year-on-year terms, lending growth was at its highest since March 2009. More specifically, bank lending to private sector rose by 1.1 percent in April to […]

     
  • In Major Shift, Saudi Aramco Dabbles in Oil Trading
     

    Saudi Arabia has long been a dominant force in global oil markets, “but has never been an oil trader.” That changed on January 1st, 2012, when Saudi Aramco began operations at Aramco Trading, a wholly owned company subsidiary. The new Aramco Trading marks an expansion in Aramco’s downstream investment portfolio in the Kingdom and overseas, […]

     
  • Saudi female entrepreneurs exploit changing attitudes
     

    In Saudi Arabia, a small but determined number of women are overcoming obstacles to build their own thriving businesses. Social constraints in the conservative Kingdom have not stopped women from amassing substantial individual wealth. An estimated $11.9 billion is held by women primarily in bonds and bank accounts, according to asset managers Al Masah Capital. […]

     
  • Global Markets Drag on TASI
     

    The TASI has dipped over the past month, primarily due to global factors. First quarter results of listed companies point to ongoing strength in the domestic economy, with profits 14.9 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2011. Nonetheless, the TASI is down by 10 percent since the end of March, mirroring falls on […]

     
  • Opening the TASI: What You Need to Know
     

    Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter and the Middle East’s biggest economy, is about to complete a gradual process to open its stock market, known as the Tadawul or TASI, directly to international investors for the first time.  The initial step toward this action was to give other GCC countries the right to invest […]

     
  • “Milestone” oil manipulation case unsettles traders
     

    U.S. regulators’ $14 million settlement with high-frequency trading firm Optiver over oil price manipulation in 2007 is a “milestone” victory in their toughening stance on market malfeasance which is being closely watched by traders. In its first major case against an algorithmic trader, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said late on Thursday that a court […]

     
  • Graphic: The Rise of Saudi Oil Consumption
     

    Saudi Arabia uses as much oil per person as America, largely to run oil-fired power plants to run domestic air conditioners. And the more of its oil siphoned off for such uses, the less cushion there is in the worlds oil supply. Thats a big problem now but is becoming less of one. America and […]

     

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