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  • Oil climbs as Gaza tensions rise, Saudi Arabia hikes prices

    Oil futures climbed on Monday after Saudi Arabia hiked June crude prices for most regions and as the prospect of a Gaza ceasefire deal appeared slim, renewing fears the Israel-Hamas conflict could still widen in the key oil-producing region.
    Brent crude futures were up 77 cents, or 0.9%, to $83.73 a barrel at 1055 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $78.98 a barrel, up 87 cents, or 1.1%.

  • Saudi Arabia Posts Budget Deficit as Capex Spending Climbs

    Saudi Arabia recorded a sixth straight quarterly budget deficit as increased spending on capital expenditure and other areas outpaced growth in revenue.

    The shortfall stood at 12.4 billion riyals ($3.3 billion) in the first quarter, more than four times higher than a year ago, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. On a quarterly basis, the deficit eased from about 37 billion riyals at the end of 2023.

  • Saudi Arabia Posts Budget Deficit as Capex Spending Climbs

    Saudi Arabia recorded a sixth straight quarterly budget deficit as increased spending on capital expenditure and other areas outpaced growth in revenue. The shortfall stood at 12.4 billion riyals ($3.3 billion) in the first quarter, more than four times higher than a year ago, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. On a quarterly basis, the deficit eased from about 37 billion riyals at the end of 2023.

  • Banking Giants Race to Riyadh as MBS Steps Up Pressure Campaign

    The move is intended to lure business from international financial centers like Hong Kong and Singapore and particularly nearby Dubai. And bankers say Saudi pressure to expand on the ground goes beyond the new law: During discussions, senior Saudi officials persistently ask if executives plan to spend more time in the kingdom or expand existing offices, while offering to fast track licenses for those committing to live with their families in Riyadh. Government representatives didn’t respond to a request for comment.

  • UK Launches Saudi Investment Drive to Grab Share of MBS’s Vision

    The UK and Saudi Arabia will hold a trade expo in Riyadh next month as Rishi Sunak launches an investment drive aimed at taking advantage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 project. A delegation of more than 300 British business executives will join Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden at the Saudi Great Futures event on May 14-15, according to a statement from Dowden’s office. The event will mark the start of a year-long campaign to showcase UK firms to Saudi investors with a focus on sectors that support the country’s Vision 2030, which was established by bin Salman eight years ago to diversify the economy away from oil.

  • Doing the work: MBS’ true legacy

    Given our clickbait, short-attention-span media reality, we can’t really be surprised that Saudi Arabia’s splashy external investments and massive ‘giga’ projects are the glitter that catches the eye of the inattentive. In fact, while the Kingdom’s high-profile investments and massive construction projects actually do serve a purpose, the truly meaningful change that should matter to Americans and its elected officials is happening elsewhere.

  • Gulf markets slip on Fed rate worries; Saudi climbs

    Most stock markets in the Gulf slipped on Wednesday as investors turned cautious after strong readings on the U.S. economy tempered bets on interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve this year. Investors' focus is now on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech and March private payrolls and services sector data later in the day to get more clues on the rate outlook.

  • Saudi Crown Prince MBS’s $100 Billion Foreign Investment Quest Falters

    The short-term reality is more complicated. California-based Lucid is increasingly guzzling Saudi money to stay in business. Last week it got a $1 billion cash lifeline from the kingdom, on top of the $5.4 billion Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has already pumped in. Lucid, which counts the PIF as its top shareholder, had been held up as an example of foreign firms investing in Saudi Arabia’s multi-trillion-dollar “Vision 2030” economic transformation plan. But Lucid’s need for Saudi money is one sign the country’s rushed attempt at reinvention is being paid for out of pocket, with the kingdom relying heavily on its oil riches to entice firms in.

  • Sullivan to meet MBS to push Saudi side of Israel mega-deal

    With the war in Gaza ongoing and the U.S. presidential election just seven months away, White House officials admit there's a slim chance they can pull off the historic peace agreement. Sullivan's trip shows President Biden is still determined to pursue it.

  • White House’s Sullivan traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks with MBS

    White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan plans to travel to Saudi Arabia this week for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid a U.S. push for progress toward normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
    Talks on normalization had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas fighters on southern Israel and Israel's subsequent assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, but conversations have resumed in recent months.