Tunisia Receives €400 Million in Loans

Passengers stranded at Tunis Carthage airport wait for flights on March 16, 2020. (Getty Images)
Passengers stranded at Tunis Carthage airport wait for flights on March 16, 2020. (Getty Images)
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Tunisia Receives €400 Million in Loans

Passengers stranded at Tunis Carthage airport wait for flights on March 16, 2020. (Getty Images)
Passengers stranded at Tunis Carthage airport wait for flights on March 16, 2020. (Getty Images)

The Tunisian parliamentary finance committee has okayed five sealed deals with donors that allow it to receive loans amounting to nearly EUR400 million to implement a number of government projects.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) approved a EUR98.2 million loan to help finance an e-governance program and support digital transformation in administrative services. IBRD also approved a loan of EUR66.9 million to support emerging companies and SMEs.

The parliament approved the government’s request for loans, totaling EUR238 million, from the from the African Development Bank (AfDB). One loan, worth EUR108 million, will go to the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) to fund the electric power transmission project this year.

A second, worth EUR100 million, will be dedicated to SMEs and active institutions in various sectors, and a third will finance the electric power transmission project in 2021.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the economy needs around TND11 billion (around USD3.8 billion) in foreign and domestic loans to fund the 2020 budget. The country’s economic woes have been compounded by the coronavirus and ensuing lockdowns.

Tunisia’s economy is expected to contract by 4.3 percent in 2020 amid the coronavirus crisis, the deepest contraction since its independence in 1956, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said earlier this month.



Gold Prices Ease as Focus Shifts to US Inflation Data

The People's Bank of China's gold holdings increased by 830,000 ounces in October (Reuters)
The People's Bank of China's gold holdings increased by 830,000 ounces in October (Reuters)
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Gold Prices Ease as Focus Shifts to US Inflation Data

The People's Bank of China's gold holdings increased by 830,000 ounces in October (Reuters)
The People's Bank of China's gold holdings increased by 830,000 ounces in October (Reuters)

Gold prices eased on Tuesday as investors locked in profits after bullion's more than 1% rally in the previous session and awaited US inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.

Spot gold was down 0.4% at $4,124.42 per ounce, as of 0618 GMT. US gold futures for December delivery rose 0.5% to $4,133.00.

"It's just ‌a bit of ‌churn in the market. Prices are ‌easing back ⁠from the highs ⁠reached during the US session, which could be attributed to profit-taking," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.

"If we continue to see a situation where the US does not want to escalate the conflict in the Middle East and oil prices are reversing as a result, that'd be very ⁠beneficial for gold because of its impact on ‌the dollar, inflation and interest ‌rate expectations," Rodda said.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans ‌to hold off on new military strikes against Iran for ‌the time being after appeals from countries in the region, including from Qatar's prime minister in White House talks. Oil prices fell on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous day, Reuters said.

Meanwhile, the US central bank ‌should move its monetary policy "with care" as it maps a response to inflation that remains its ⁠greatest risk, ⁠Richmond Federal Reserve President Tom Barkin said on Monday, adding he had no base case for what should be done at the December meeting.

Traders currently see an 84% chance that the US Fed will raise rates in December, according to CME's FedWatch tool.

Higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion, reducing its appeal.

Investors now await the consumer price index report, due later in the day, followed by the producer price index data on Friday.

Among other metals, spot silver slid 0.3% to $53.22 per ounce, platinum steadied at $1,577.57 and palladium dropped 0.2% to $1,039.16.


Oil Falls as Trump Downplays Prospect of Escalation with Iran

Oil prices are set for a sharp weekly decline amid expectations of a de-escalation in the Iran war following election losses suffered by Trump's party (Reuters).
Oil prices are set for a sharp weekly decline amid expectations of a de-escalation in the Iran war following election losses suffered by Trump's party (Reuters).
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Oil Falls as Trump Downplays Prospect of Escalation with Iran

Oil prices are set for a sharp weekly decline amid expectations of a de-escalation in the Iran war following election losses suffered by Trump's party (Reuters).
Oil prices are set for a sharp weekly decline amid expectations of a de-escalation in the Iran war following election losses suffered by Trump's party (Reuters).

Oil prices fell on Tuesday, adding to the previous day's losses after US President Donald Trump downplayed the need for military action against Iran "at this point", easing fears of sustained supply disruptions in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures declined 70 cents, or 0.75%, to $91.88 a barrel by 0246 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 78 cents, or 0.90%, to $86.07 a barrel. Both benchmarks had fallen 1% earlier in the session.

Brent settled down 5.85% in the previous session after sliding to its lowest since ‌August 31.

Trump said ‌on Monday he plans to hold off ‌on ⁠new military strikes against ⁠Iran for the time being after appeals from countries in the region, including from Qatar's prime minister in White House talks.

Trump, in a Reuters interview and a later appearance in the White House press briefing room, said he plans to keep up a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz for now.

"The market continues to prioritize President Trump's ⁠more conciliatory tone toward Iran since the midterms," ‌said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at ‌KCM Trade.

"While attacks on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz are still occurring, ‌they have not escalated in a way that has forced a ‌fresh risk premium into the market," he said.

On the supply side, OPEC oil output rose in October, a Reuters survey found, led by gains in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq despite continued constraints on exports.

Brent has retreated ‌about 22% from the six-month high of $118 it touched on October 30 as fears that ⁠Trump might step ⁠up attacks on Iran following the US midterms have eased, however there is still concern shipping could be disrupted.

"Despite the recent selloff, prices are unlikely to fall below $90 per barrel for Brent without more durable signs of de-escalation and a US-Iran deal," Gregory Brew, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group said in a note.

"At the same time, risks to shipping remain high, as Iran continues to attack vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz," Brew said.

Elsewhere, Russian and Ukrainian officials planned to meet on Tuesday for two days of US-brokered talks — their first since February — after Trump suggested last week that a broad peace deal was possible in their 4-1/2-year-old war and could incorporate Europe's security.


HUMAIN Secures $667 Million Infra Financing to Advance Saudi Arabia’s AI Infrastructure

A photo taken during the signing ceremony of the two agreements in Riyadh (SPA) 
A photo taken during the signing ceremony of the two agreements in Riyadh (SPA) 
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HUMAIN Secures $667 Million Infra Financing to Advance Saudi Arabia’s AI Infrastructure

A photo taken during the signing ceremony of the two agreements in Riyadh (SPA) 
A photo taken during the signing ceremony of the two agreements in Riyadh (SPA) 

The National Infrastructure Fund (Infra) and HUMAIN, a PIF company delivering full-stack artificial intelligence capabilities globally, signed on Monday two financing agreements totaling up to SAR 2.5 billion ($667 million) to support AI computing deployment and the development of critical power infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

The agreements were signed in Riyadh in the presence of Governor of the Public Investment Fund, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Minister of Economy and Planning and Chairman of Infra’s Board of Directors, Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim and Governor of the National Development Fund, Abdulaziz Alarifi.

The facilities are the first transactions announced under Infra’s AI Data Center Financing Program. They build on the strategic financing framework announced by Infra and HUMAIN at Davos in January 2026, which outlined non-binding financing terms of up to SAR 4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) to support AI and digital infrastructure projects in the Kingdom.

The GPU financing facility, of up to SAR 1.1 billion ($293.3 million), will support the procurement and deployment of graphics processing units (GPUs), representing approximately 25 MW of IT load.

A second facility of up to SAR 1.4 billion ($373.3 million), will finance the development of substations, transmission infrastructure and grid connections to support HUMAIN’s AI data centers in Saudi Arabia.

The planned power infrastructure is designed to support future data center development with up to 1 GW of IT capacity, helping create the conditions for investment by developers, hyperscalers and institutional investors.

“Through these agreements, we aim to unlock investment well beyond Infra’s own commitment,” said Chief Executive Officer of Infra, Engineer Esmail bin Mohammed Alsallom.

He noted that supporting HUMAIN’s computing deployment alongside essential power infrastructure helps prepare a broader pipeline of data center projects for investment.

“Our role is to strengthen project readiness and bankability, with commercial viability and economic value guiding how we deploy our capital,” Alsallom said, adding that this partnership connects Infra’s priorities with commercial discipline, helping build a financing market that can attract a broader pool of private and institutional capital and sustain the local AI infrastructure growth.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of HUMAIN, Tareq Amin, said that AI infrastructure is becoming foundational to the next generation of computing, and scaling it requires both significant investment and the infrastructure to support it.

“These facilities with Infra will help accelerate the deployment of advanced computing capacity and the power infrastructure required to support it. At HUMAIN, we are focused on building and operating AI infrastructure at scale, while developing the technologies and platforms that enable organizations and customers globally to put AI to work,” he added.