Saudi Nominal Economy Surpasses $1 Tn for First Time

The Saudi economy is witnessing rapid growth due to recent government initiatives (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi economy is witnessing rapid growth due to recent government initiatives (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Nominal Economy Surpasses $1 Tn for First Time

The Saudi economy is witnessing rapid growth due to recent government initiatives (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi economy is witnessing rapid growth due to recent government initiatives (Asharq Al-Awsat)

A recent report revealed that the Saudi economy has greatly surpassed challenging global conditions over the past three years, starting from the coronavirus pandemic and extending to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the subsequent global inflation wave.

As a result, the Kingdom has outperformed the economic growth of G20 countries in 2022, surpassing the trillion-dollar nominal value for the first time in history.

Data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed a 3.8% increase in Saudi Arabia's real gross domestic product (GDP) during the first quarter of 2023, compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

According to the report, released by the Ministry of Economy and Planning on Sunday, Saudi Arabia has implemented numerous programs, initiatives, and structural reforms since the launch of “Vision 2030.”

These efforts aim to ensure stability, achieve sustainable development, and enhance the overall productivity of the economy.

Despite the continued role of the oil sector as a significant contributor to budget financing, the non-oil sector has witnessed an increase in its share of the GDP, noted the report.

This growth has been supported by government facilitations and programs that have provided a conducive environment for the growth of the private sector, it added.

The report predicted that the pace of this structural transformation towards sustainable economic growth will continue in the coming years.

This progress is expected to contribute to the ongoing advancement of the Saudi economy among the world’s largest economies.

The report emphasized that internationally recognized indicators endorse the significant changes happening in the Kingdom.

These changes are a result of the economic reforms driven by “Vision 2030,” which have received praise from various organizations in their thorough reports during 2022.

Additionally, reputable credit rating agencies have raised the Kingdom’s sovereign credit ratings and improved their outlook for the future of the Saudi economy.

As per the report, “Vision 2030” aimed to transform the structure of the Saudi economy into a diversified and sustainable economy.

This transformation focuses on enhancing productivity, increasing the contribution of the private sector to economic wealth creation, and engaging it in achieving the goals of the vision.

It is worth noting that the Economy and Planning Ministry publishes the report as part of providing regular, accurate, and detailed updates on the performance of both the global economy and the Kingdom’s economy.

The data for the report is gathered from various government sources, including GASTAT, the Saudi Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, as well as international institutions.



Dollar Mauled by Trump Trade War

A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
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Dollar Mauled by Trump Trade War

A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo
A teller sorts US dollar banknotes inside the cashier's booth at a forex exchange bureau in downtown Nairobi, Kenya February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File photo

The dollar hit three-month lows on Wednesday as the US' trade war with its partners escalated, while a major overhaul to German government borrowing triggered the biggest sell-off in the country's debt since the late 1990s.

In addition to the cocktail of tariffs and a seismic shift in German fiscal policy, investors also scrutinized the start of China's annual sessions of its parliament, the National People's Congress, at which Beijing retained a goal of roughly 5% economic growth for 2025.

The euro hit its highest in four months, while European stocks surged. The biggest casualties were longer-dated German government bonds, caught up in their worst one-day selloff in more than 25 years as yields ripped higher, Reuters reported.

Overnight, German political parties agreed to a 500 billion-euro ($534.75 billion) infrastructure fund and, crucially, an overhaul in borrowing limits that economists billed as "a really big bazooka".

"Last night Germany announced plans for one of the largest fiscal regime shifts in post-war history, perhaps with reunification 35 years ago being the only rival," Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid said.

"Everything you thought you knew about Germany's economic prospects three months ago, or even three weeks ago, should be ripped up and you should start your analysis from fresh," he said.

German 30-year yields - the rate the government pays to borrow over the very long term - rose by almost a quarter of a percentage point in early trading, on track for their largest rise since October 1998.

The 30-year bond yield was last up 20 basis points at 3.03%.

"It’s a recognition that something has changed. Germany is the benchmark against which all these other markets are measured. And so this big transition in German fiscal policy is significant," Dario Perkins, managing director, global macro at TS Lombard, said.

"We’re a long way away from worrying about German fiscal problems. People have been pleading that Germany spends for the last 20 years."

Longer-dated yields elsewhere rose too, with French 30-year rates up 15 basis points at 4.0% and Italian 30-year bonds yielding 4.517%, up 17 bps.

Europe's STOXX 600 jumped by more than 1.2% to record highs. The prospect of a meaningful increase in European spending on security has sent the region's defence stocks soaring this month.

 

TRADE WAR INCOMING

 

US tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China went into effect on Tuesday, when President Donald Trump also delivered his State of the Union address, in which he touted his successes since taking office six weeks ago.

Canada and China retaliated immediately, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to respond likewise, without giving details.

With a full-on trade war underway, crude oil hit six-month lows, while bitcoin found its feet around $87,800 following a volatile week.

"Fears about weaker US and global economic activity are manifesting in the markets, with cyclicals driving the sell-off," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial markets analyst at Capital.com.

In China, the offshore yuan was a touch weaker at 7.2629, having staged its biggest one-day rally the previous session since Trump's inauguration as investors ditched the dollar.

Along with its unchanged economic growth target, Beijing committed more fiscal resources than last year to mitigate the impact of rising US tariffs.

China aims for a budget deficit of about 4% of gross domestic product in 2025, up from 3% in 2024.

Overnight, the US S&P 500 slid 1.2%, but futures rose 0.7% on Wednesday.

The US dollar index tumbled 0.5% to 105.03, bringing its losses over the last three days to 2.3%, the most in this timeframe since late 2022.

In the ascendant was the euro, which rose 0.6% to $1.0693, the most since mid-November, prompting a flurry of bullish forecasts from major investment banks.

Oil fell for a third day on Wednesday, under pressure from concern over energy demand as tit-for-tat tariffs ramp up and from OPEC+ plans to raise output in April.

Brent futures fell 1.3% to $70.09 a barrel, having hit $69.75 the previous day, the lowest since September.