Saudi Foreign Trade Surges $173 Billion in Growth During One Year

Majid Al-Qasabi, the Saudi Minister of Commerce, during his participation in the ministerial meeting in the Indian city of Jaipur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Majid Al-Qasabi, the Saudi Minister of Commerce, during his participation in the ministerial meeting in the Indian city of Jaipur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Foreign Trade Surges $173 Billion in Growth During One Year

Majid Al-Qasabi, the Saudi Minister of Commerce, during his participation in the ministerial meeting in the Indian city of Jaipur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Majid Al-Qasabi, the Saudi Minister of Commerce, during his participation in the ministerial meeting in the Indian city of Jaipur (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi on Thursday unveiled several positive outcomes that the Kingdom has achieved as a result of economic reforms, the most prominent of which is the growth of its foreign trade during the past year by a value of $173 billion.

Al-Qasabi’s remarks were made during his participation in the meeting of trade and investment ministers of the G20, held in the Indian city of Jaipur.

He affirmed that Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” has launched key initiatives to enhance the regional and international integration of the Saudi economy.

Al-Qasabi stated that the volume of non-oil exports in the past year exceeded $28.7 billion, marking a growth rate of 40% for the period from 2018 to 2022.

He also revealed that the number of small and medium-sized enterprises in the country has reached 1.2 million establishments, and the sector provides 80% of the jobs in the labor market.

He added that the Saudi Export and Import Bank has provided loans exceeding $4.6 billion. At the same time, he disclosed a yearly growth in e-commerce from 2016 to 2022 by about 33%.

Minister Al-Qasabi highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment to continue trade cooperation and integration to support global economic prosperity.

The goal is to reach the second position among the G20 in digital competitiveness according to the “Digital Riser 2021” report, and the sixth among 50 emerging countries in the “Agility” index for the year 2022.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia ranked 17th out of 64 countries in the annual Global Competitiveness Report for the current year, and 38th out of 138 in the Logistics Performance Index for the year 2023.



Gold Steady as Focus Shifts to US Data for Economic Cues

Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
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Gold Steady as Focus Shifts to US Data for Economic Cues

Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)
Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)

Gold prices were little changed on Monday, while investors awaited a slew of US economic data including the December nonfarm payrolls report for further guidance on the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rates.
Spot gold held its ground at $2,635.39 per ounce by 0510 GMT. US gold futures dropped 0.2% to $2,646.80.
How the US jobs data fares this week could hold the key to whether gold breaks out of its recent range, said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.
"There is a plethora of US data due for release this week (including ISM Services PMI data), and any downside misses could hurt the USD and help gold."
The US jobs report, due on Friday, is expected to provide more clues to the Fed's rate outlook after the US central bank rattled markets last month by reducing its projected cuts for 2025.
Investors are also awaiting ADP hiring and job openings data, as well as minutes of the Fed's last policy meeting for further direction.
Gold flourishes in a low-interest-rate environment and serves as a hedge against geopolitical uncertainties and inflation.
US President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to office on Jan. 20 and his proposed tariffs and protectionist policies are expected to fuel inflation.
This could prompt the Fed to go slow on rate cuts, limiting gold's upside. After three rate cuts in 2024, the Fed has projected only two reductions for 2025 due to persistent inflation.
The US central bank's benchmark policy rate should stay restrictive until it is more certain that inflation is returning to its 2% target, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said on Friday.
Spot silver was down 0.2% at $29.57 per ounce, platinum dipped 0.7% to $931.30 and palladium fell 0.4% to $918.22.