Real Estate Exchange Figures Reflect Size of Saudi Market

The Saudi Minister of Justice speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Real Estate Stock Exchange platform last week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Justice speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Real Estate Stock Exchange platform last week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Real Estate Exchange Figures Reflect Size of Saudi Market

The Saudi Minister of Justice speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Real Estate Stock Exchange platform last week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Minister of Justice speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the Real Estate Stock Exchange platform last week. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

During the first week of its launch, the Real Estate Exchange, which is affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Justice, witnessed the trading of about 61 million square meters of properties in various regions of the Kingdom, with the total number of deals reaching 17,000, at a value exceeding SAR 17 billion ($4.5 billion).

The real estate exchange served over 500,000 visitors, illustrating its rapid impact on the Kingdom’s real estate sector.

Real estate experts said that these numbers reflect the size and magnitude of the real estate market in Saudi Arabia. They added that the platform will eliminate ambiguity, increase the market’s attractiveness to foreign investors, and become an indicator and a huge real estate database characterized by governance, transparency, and credibility.

Real estate consultant Matar Al-Shammari told Asharq Al-Awsat that the figures recorded by the Real Estate Stock Exchange in its first week reflect the size and magnitude of the Saudi real estate market, and give a clear indication of the large movement of transactions.

He added that the Real Estate Stock Exchange will represent an attractive factor for foreign investors to enter the Saudi market and access data and information issued by an official and reliable authority.

For his part, Real Estate expert and member of the Saudi Residents Authority, Eng. Ahmed Al-Faqih, noted that the Real Estate Stock Exchange would constitute a new era in the Saudi real estate market, with increased transparency and reliability.

The real estate exchange is part of the Real Estate Wealth Digitization initiative, a ministry project under Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program.

 

 



Oil Prices Edge up as Market Assesses Trump's Tariff Plans

FILE PHOTO: A ship is moored near storage tanks at an oil refinery off the coast of Singapore October 17, 2008. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A ship is moored near storage tanks at an oil refinery off the coast of Singapore October 17, 2008. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo
TT

Oil Prices Edge up as Market Assesses Trump's Tariff Plans

FILE PHOTO: A ship is moored near storage tanks at an oil refinery off the coast of Singapore October 17, 2008. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A ship is moored near storage tanks at an oil refinery off the coast of Singapore October 17, 2008. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo

Oil prices picked up on Tuesday, after the previous session's sell-off, as the market assessed US President-elect Donald Trump's planned trade tariffs on Mexico and Canada and his aim to increase US crude production.

Oil prices had fallen more than $2 a barrel on Monday after multiple reports that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to the terms of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. A senior Israeli official said Israel looks set to approve a US plan for a ceasefire on Tuesday, but some analysts said Monday's sell-off in oil prices had been overdone.

Brent crude futures were up 43 cents, or 0.6%, at $73.44 a barrel as of 1414 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were at $69.38 a barrel, up 44 cents, or 0.6%.

Brent crude futures fluctuated between $73.30 and $73.80 a barrel in afternoon trading.

"Today’s intra-day fluctuations are probably more of the function of assessing Trump’s overnight pledge to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China," PVM analyst Tamas Varga said.

On Monday, Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on all products coming into the US from Mexico and Canada.

The vast majority of Canada's 4 million bpd of crude exports go to the US Analysts have said it is unlikely Trump would impose tariffs on Canadian oil, which cannot be easily replaced since it differs from grades that the US produces.

On Monday, Reuters reported that Trump's team is also preparing an energy package to roll out within days of his taking office that would increase oil drilling.

A senior executive at Exxon Mobil said on Tuesday that US oil and gas producers are unlikely to "radically increase'' production.

OPEC+ MEETING

Market reaction on Monday to the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire news was "over the top" as the broader Middle East conflict has "never actually disrupted supplies significantly to induce war premiums" this year, said senior market analyst Priyanka Sachdeva at Phillip Nova.

Elsewhere, OPEC+ at its next meeting on Sunday may consider leaving its current oil output cuts in place from Jan. 1. The producer group is already postponing hikes amid global demand worries.