Saudi Council of Economic, Development Affairs Holds Meeting to Discuss Economic Issues

Saudi Council of Economic, Development Affairs Holds Meeting to Discuss Economic Issues
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Saudi Council of Economic, Development Affairs Holds Meeting to Discuss Economic Issues

Saudi Council of Economic, Development Affairs Holds Meeting to Discuss Economic Issues

The Council of Economic and Development Affairs has held a video conference to discuss reports, presentations and topics on its agenda, including the periodic presentation submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Planning on local and global economic developments.
The presentation included an analysis of key indicators of the national economy and the growth rate witnessed recently. It commended the continuous growth of non-oil activities, SPA reported.
It also lauded the high growth rates of the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in the non-oil private sector for the third year in a row, which reached the highest performance level among the G20 countries.

The council discussed efforts made to develop and diversify the national production of goods and services that have a competitive advantage for the Kingdom, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 goals to build a thriving economy that improves the country's standing globally.
The presentation addressed priority economic activities that have attractive advantages for the development of the industrial sector, such as metal works, the automobile industry, computer and electronic products, and activities in service sectors such as tourism, transportation and logistics, communications and information technology.
It also touched on opportunities to develop and diversify national goods and services, and raise the level of competitiveness of national production in partnership with the private sector, investors and state-owned companies in a way that supports the growth of non-oil exports and boosts integration in local, regional and international value chains, as well as contributes to increasing local content, improves the Kingdom’s non-oil trade balance, and achieves economic sustainability.

The council tackled the Office of the Strategic Committee of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs’ quarterly report on the programs to achieve Vision 2030.

The meeting reviewed the quarterly presentation submitted by the National Center for Performance Management of Public Entities regarding the performance of public sector entities. It highlighted the performance of different entities and their efforts to achieve Vision 2030, the results of the performance review meetings held by the center in cooperation with the entities, and the corrective measures taken to ensure that targets are reached.

The council also went over the presentation submitted by the National Center for Privatization on the highlights of the presentations submitted by the supervisory committees for privatization projects for H1 of 2023.
The meeting concluded with the necessary decisions and recommendations.



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.