Cityscape Global Sees Major Participation of Leaders from Real Estate Sector

The second day of the Cityscape Global Exhibition, currently being held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The second day of the Cityscape Global Exhibition, currently being held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Cityscape Global Sees Major Participation of Leaders from Real Estate Sector

The second day of the Cityscape Global Exhibition, currently being held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The second day of the Cityscape Global Exhibition, currently being held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The world’s largest real estate event, Cityscape Global, continued for the second consecutive day in Riyadh, with the participation of more than 350 exhibitors, 300 local and international speakers and 2,000 investors from around the world.

Monday’s agenda included a series of dialogue sessions that focused on the relationship between real estate and financial technology, the future of housing, the power and impact of design, bioeconomy, and financial stability.

The exhibition features five main platforms that host a number of sessions, including: NEOM Future of Living Summit, the Real Estate Institutional Investor Forum, the Property Portfolio Forum, the PropTech stage, and the Design and Architecture area.

For its part, the Saudi National Housing Company showcased its luxury real estate project in the Khuzam suburb located north of the capital. The project extends over a total area exceeding 77,000 square meters, and provides 220 luxurious residential units, ranging between 350 and 471 square meters.

In addition, the Tourism Development Fund and the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing several tourism projects in industrial cities.

Under the agreement, the two bodies will assess various land properties and propose viable tourism projects for each.

Umm Al-Qura for Development and Construction Company, owner and developer of "Masar" Destination, concluded a partnership agreement to develop and operate a 4-star hotel, with investments amounting to SAR 450 million ($120 million).

Umm Al-Qura also announced the signing of an acquisition agreement with Scope International Real Estate Development Company, to construct residential towers in cooperation with international operators, with investments amounting to SAR 900 million ($240 million).



Oil Rises on Risk of Broadening Middle East Conflict

Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
TT

Oil Rises on Risk of Broadening Middle East Conflict

Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo
Oil pump jacks work at sunset near Midland, Texas, US, August 21, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Lutz/File Photo

Oil prices rose in early Asian trading on Thursday, extending strong gains in the previous session after the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran raised the threat of a wider Middle East conflict and on signs of strong oil demand in the US.
Global benchmark Brent crude futures rose 67 cents, or 0.8%, to $81.51 per barrel by 0007 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 69 cents, or 0.9%, to $78.60 per barrel.
The most active contracts on both benchmarks jumped about 4% in the previous session, Reuters reported. 
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Lebanon-based Hezbollah's most senior military commander was killed in an Israeli strike in the capital, Beirut.
The killings fuelled concern that the 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was turning into a wider Middle East war, which could potentially lead to disruptions in oil supply from the region.
"We fear the region is at the brink of all-out war," Japan's deputy United Nations representative Shino Mitsuko said on Wednesday as the UN security council called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts.
Also pushing up oil prices was a set of data releases from the US, the world's top oil consumer, and a weaker dollar.
Robust export demand pushed US crude oil stockpiles lower by 3.4 million barrels in the week ended July 26 to 433 million barrels, data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed on Wednesday.
US oil stocks have declined for five consecutive weeks, the longest such streak since January 2021.
US oil demand was at a seasonal record in May as gasoline consumption surged to its highest since before the pandemic, a separate data release from the EIA showed on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the US dollar index extended losses on Thursday from the previous session, after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady but left the door open for a cut in September. A weaker dollar can boost oil demand from investors holding other currencies.