New Zealand reaches trade deal with Gulf states

The agreement with the Gulf states comes after New Zealand reached a trade deal with the UAE in September. Shutterstock
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Updated 01 November 2024
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New Zealand reaches trade deal with Gulf states

SYDNEY: New Zealand has reached a trade deal with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that Wellington said would open up major opportunities for Kiwi exporters in the Middle East.

The trade pact would remove tariffs for 51 percent of New Zealand’s exports to the region from day one and deliver duty-free access for 99 percent of New Zealand’s exports over 10 years, New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay said in a statement late on Thursday.

“Successfully concluding a trade agreement with the GCC has been a long-standing ambition for successive governments for almost two decades,” McClay said in Doha.

The statement did not specify when the trade pact will become effective.

The agreement with the Gulf states comes after New Zealand reached a trade deal with the UAE in September.

Trade between New Zealand and the GCC is worth more than NZ$3 billion ($1.79 billion) annually. The Pacific island nation exported NZ$2.6 billion to the Middle Eastern member countries in the year to June 2024, which included NZ$1.8 billion of dairy, official data showed.


Foreign reserves propel Saudi assets to $435bn

Updated 8 sec ago
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Foreign reserves propel Saudi assets to $435bn

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s official reserve assets saw a 2.22 percent year-on-year increase to SR1.63 trillion ($435.41 billion) in October, underscoring the Kingdom’s fiscal resilience.

Data from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed that these holdings include monetary gold, special drawing rights, the International Monetary Fund’s reserve position, and foreign reserves. 

The latter category comprises currency and deposits abroad as well as investments in foreign securities, and accounted for 94.34 percent of the total, reaching SR1.54 trillion in October – an annual rise of 2.32 percent.

Special drawing rights rose to SR78.42 billion, marking a 2.09 percent increase and accounting for 4.8 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total reserves. 

Created by the IMF to supplement member countries’ official reserves, SDRs derive their value from a basket of major currencies, including the US dollar, euro, Chinese yuan, Japanese yen, and British pound sterling. SDRs can be exchanged among governments for freely usable currencies when needed. 

In addition to providing supplementary liquidity, SDRs help stabilize exchange rates, act as a unit of account, and facilitate international trade and financial stability. 

The IMF reserve position totaled around SR12.41 billion but recorded an 8.03 percent decline during this period. This category represents the amount a country can draw from the IMF without conditions. 

Gold reserves remained steady at SR1.62 billion, a level unchanged since February 2008. 

Saudi Arabia’s reserve assets, underpinned by substantial foreign exchange reserves and sovereign wealth managed through entities like the Public Investment Fund, serve as a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s fiscal strength. 

These reserves provide the government with a robust financial buffer to navigate economic uncertainties, including fluctuating oil revenues, global financial market turbulence, and geopolitical risks. 

With significant reserve levels, the Kingdom is well-positioned to meet its financing requirements across short, medium, and long-term horizons. 

This financial resilience bolsters Saudi Arabia’s ability to secure favorable borrowing terms from both domestic and international markets, enhancing investor confidence and supporting fiscal sustainability. 

The strategic deployment of these assets aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which focuses on economic diversification, enhancing non-oil sectors, and ensuring sustainable long-term growth. 

This comprehensive strategy equips the Kingdom to mitigate risks while fostering stability and pursuing its ambitious economic objectives.


Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors

Updated 16 min 5 sec ago
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Pakistan stocks smash 113,000 mark on strong performance by energy, fertilizer sectors

  • KSE-100 index climbed 2784.61, or 2.51 percent, to stand at 113,594.82 points at 2:48pm
  • Investors confident of significant interest rate cut at next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 16

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks continued their record-breaking streak on Thursday, crossing the 113,000-point mark for the first time during intra-day trading, with the strong performance of energy and fertilizer shares contributing to the gains. 

The benchmark KSE-100 index climbed 2784.61, or 2.51 percent, to stand at 113,594.82 points at 2:48 pm, from the previous close of 110,810.21 points. 

“Lower T-Bill yields, leading up to next week’s monetary policy, are driving investor enthusiasm,” Head of Equities at Intermarket Securities Raza Jafri told Arab News. “Index heavyweight energy and fertilizer contribute most to today’s rise.”

Arif Habib Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ahsan Mehanti attributed the record-breaking streak to surging global crude oil prices, upbeat Pakistan Oil Fields sales, car sales, cement dispatches data for November 2024 and the Asian Development Bank raising the growth forecast to three percent for FY25.

“These factors played the role of a catalyst in the record surge,” he told Arab News. “Stocks showed record bullish activity after government bonds yields fell by up to 100bps in the State Bank of Pakistan auction expected to bring significant policy easing next week.”

Stocks have been performing well this week on the back of investor confidence of a significant interest rate cut by the central bank at the next monetary policy meeting on Dec. 16.

Pakistan’s central bank has already slashed interest rates by 700 basis points (bps) in four consecutive meetings since June, bringing it to 15 percent.

According to a poll by Topline Securities, 71 percent of participants expect the central bank to announce a minimum rate cut of 200bps next week. 

Pakistan’s annual consumer inflation also slowed to 4.9 percent in November, lower than the government’s forecast and the lowest in nearly six years. This is down from 38 percent last year.

Trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics also supports positive investor sentiment as the trade deficit narrowed by 7.39 percent during the first five months (July-November) of the current fiscal year, standing at $8.651 billion, compared to $9.341 billion during the same period last year.

Exports rose by 12.57 percent to hit $13.69 billion, while imports increased by 3.90 percent to $22.342 billion during this period. November’s trade deficit narrowed even further, dropping by 18.60 percent year-on-year to $1.589 billion compared to $1.952 billion in November 2023.


IEA predicts global oil market will remain well-supplied in 2025

Updated 43 min 15 sec ago
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IEA predicts global oil market will remain well-supplied in 2025

RIYADH: The global oil market is expected to be adequately supplied in 2025, even as OPEC+ extends its voluntary production cuts by an additional three months, according to the International Energy Agency.

In its latest report, the IEA raised its global oil demand growth forecast for 2025 to 1.1 million barrels per day, up from its previous estimate of 990,000 bpd. This upward revision is driven by rising oil demand in Asian markets.

The report comes just a day after OPEC revised its own global oil demand growth projection for 2025, cutting it to 1.4 million bpd. According to the oil producers’ group, total global oil demand is expected to reach 105.3 million bpd in 2025, an increase from 103.8 million bpd in 2024.

The IEA noted that OPEC+ decision to extend its voluntary production cuts for another three months and push back the ramp-up period by nine months, now extending to September 2026, has significantly reduced the potential supply surplus that was anticipated for next year.

However, the IEA cautioned that persistent overproduction from some OPEC+ members, strong supply growth from non-OPEC+ countries, and relatively modest global oil demand growth would still result in a comfortably supplied market in 2025.

Global oil consumption is projected to reach 103.9 million bpd in 2025, closely aligned with OPEC+ forecast.

The IEA also highlighted that oil demand growth next year would be largely driven by petrochemical feedstocks, while demand for transport fuels remains constrained by behavioral changes and advancements in technology.

The report also indicated that crude oil production from OPEC could increase next year if countries such as Libya, South Sudan, and Sudan can maintain their production levels, along with the expansion of Kazakhstan’s Tengiz field.

On the global supply side, non-OPEC+ countries are expected to contribute the majority of production growth, with the US, Brazil, Canada, Guyana, and Argentina collectively adding over 1.1 million bpd.

Additionally, the IEA forecasted that Saudi Arabia’s oil supply would receive a boost in 2025 from the start-up of Saudi Aramco’s Jafurah gas project, which will increase the Kingdom’s natural gas liquid supply.

In June, Aramco finalized $25 billion worth of agreements for the second phase of its Jafurah gas field development and the third phase of its master gas system expansion.

These infrastructure upgrades are expected to increase the network’s capacity by 3.15 billion standard cubic feet per day.

 


Qatar records budget surplus of $27.43m in Q3, finance ministry says

Updated 12 December 2024
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Qatar records budget surplus of $27.43m in Q3, finance ministry says

CAIRO: Qatar recorded a budget surplus of 100 million Qatari riyals ($27.43 million) in the third quarter of 2024, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

Qatar's total revenues registered around 51.3 billion riyals in the same quarter.


Egypt to bolster IPO program with 10 offerings in 2025: PM Madbouly

Updated 12 December 2024
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Egypt to bolster IPO program with 10 offerings in 2025: PM Madbouly

RIYADH: Egypt is set to accelerate its initial public offering program, with plans to propose stakes in at least 10 state-owned companies next year, according to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

In a Facebook post, the Egyptian prime minister’s office said that some of the companies which will float its shares include Wataniya Co., Safi Co., Silo Food Co, and 580-megawatt wind farm Gabal El Zeit.

The PM office added that shares of state-owned Alexandria Bank and Banque du Caire will also be included in the upcoming offerings. 

The announcement made by Madbouly indicates new efforts from the government to divest some of its assets to strengthen the country’s private sector and fiscal capabilities. 

Earlier this month, Egypt’s United Bank completed the public and private offering of 330 million shares, representing 30 percent of its issued capital. 

The United Bank offering raised a total of 4.57 billion Egyptian pounds ($90 million). 

Other companies that will be listed in 2025 include CID Pharma, Misr Pharma, and Alamal Alsharif Plastics.

Regarding tourism growth, Madbouly said that Egypt had a succesful year despite regional crises and geopolitical tensions. 

“This year, we will exceed 15 million tourists despite all the challenges that have affected the arrival of tourists in the region, but Egypt is on a good track in this area, and the numbers will be better next year,” said the prime minister. 

He added: “We are working in the tourism sector strongly, and we are moving ahead to increase hotel rooms, and improve the tourist experience in Egypt.” 

In the Facebook post, the PM’s office also highlighted the progress of the electricity connection project between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

He added that the work at the Badr converter station is 65 percent completed, with the first phase of the project’s wiring process expected to be completed before the next summer season. 

The prime minister further said that Egypt’s inflation rate fell to 25.5 percent in November, a significant decrease in this index over the past two years. 

In September 2023, the inflation rate in Egypt had increased to an all-time high of 38 percent. 

Madbouly added that the country’s reserve cash index has also improved, reaching $47 billion in November. 

Earlier this month, a report released by Fitch Ratings echoed the economic revival of Egypt. It highlighted that the general business and operating conditions for financial institutions in the country are expected to improve next year. 

The US-based agency added that falling inflation, improved investor confidence, and healthy foreign currency liquidity conditions are some of the major factors that could strengthen the banking sector in Egypt in 2025.