Oman’s Capital Market Authority Approves OQ Gas Network’s Prospectus

Oman’s Capital Market Authority. (Oman News Agency)
Oman’s Capital Market Authority. (Oman News Agency)
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Oman’s Capital Market Authority Approves OQ Gas Network’s Prospectus

Oman’s Capital Market Authority. (Oman News Agency)
Oman’s Capital Market Authority. (Oman News Agency)

Oman’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced on Sunday the approval of the prospectus of OQ Gas Networks (OQGN), one of the OQ companies affiliated with Oman Investment Authority (OIA).

Oman News Agency reported that the Capital Market Authority announced its approval of OQ’s prospectus by offering no less than two billion shares, which constitute 49 percent of the company’s capital, through public subscription.

This is the largest offering in the history of the CMA, in terms of size and market value of the company.

The public offering of the OQ Gas Networks Company, one of the OQ companies affiliated with the Oman Investment Authority, comes within the framework of the National Program for Financial Sustainability and Financial Sector Development, which aims to achieve the strategic goal of Oman Vision 2040 in developing the country’s economy.

As per the prospectus, the subscription period for the company’s shares will extend for two weeks starting from Sept. 26 for the first and second categories, and will continue until Oct. 9 for the first category. Subscription for the second category will close on Oct. 5.

The number of shares offered for subscription has been divided into three categories: institutional, individual and major investors.

The prospectus also indicates that the share of the first category, represented by institutions, amounts to 40 percent of the total offering, which is divided equally among local institutions on the one hand, and regional and international institutions. The minimum subscription for this category will be 100,000 shares, according to the prospectus, which did not specify the maximum subscription limit.

Thirty percent of the total offering will be allocated to the individual category, with the minimum subscription set at 1,000 shares, with no upper limit. The remaining 30 percent is allocated to the investors’ category, which represents qualified investors from inside and outside the Sultanate of Oman.



Gold Eases on Firmer Dollar, All Eyes on US Inflation Print

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. Reuters
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. Reuters
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Gold Eases on Firmer Dollar, All Eyes on US Inflation Print

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. Reuters
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. Reuters

Gold prices dipped on Monday as the dollar ticked higher, while investors looked towards this week's US inflation data to gauge the size of an expected Federal Reserve rate cut.

Spot gold fell 0.1% to $2,495.04 per ounce by 1027 GMT. US gold futures were unchanged at $2,524.50.

The dollar index rose 0.5%, making dollar-priced gold less appealing to holders of other currencies.

Bullion, which offers no interest of its own, tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment.

According to Reuters, traders see a 75% chance of a 25-basis point cut at the Fed's meeting next week, and a 25% chance of a 50 bp reduction. August US consumer price data on Wednesday could change these expectations. Eyes are also on Thursday's Producer Price Index (PPI).

"If inflation numbers comes much lower than expected and raise hopes for a 50 bp cut, then gold could hit all-time highs. But even if the consensus stays for a 25 bp cut, gold wouldn't see a dramatic loss in prices as the Fed is definitely cutting rates," said Kinesis Money market analyst Carlo Alberto De Casa.

"The key support area is at $2,470 and key resistance at $2,520," he added.

Last week, a report showed US employment increased less than expected in August, but a drop in the jobless rate to 4.2% suggested the labour market was not falling off a cliff to warrant a half-point cut.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller on Friday said he could support back-to-back cuts, or bigger cuts, if the data suggests the need. Meanwhile, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said he wants to calibrate policy based on data as it comes in.

On the central bank front, the People's Bank of China held back on buying gold for its reserves for a fourth straight month in August, official data showed on Saturday.

Spot silver rose 0.7% to $28.11 per ounce, platinum gained 1.9% to $939.65 and palladium was up 1.4% at $923.25.