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Expo 2030 to Boost Vital Sectors in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia allocated a sum of 7.8 billion dollars to host the global fair (AFP)
Saudi Arabia allocated a sum of 7.8 billion dollars to host the global fair (AFP)
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Expo 2030 to Boost Vital Sectors in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia allocated a sum of 7.8 billion dollars to host the global fair (AFP)
Saudi Arabia allocated a sum of 7.8 billion dollars to host the global fair (AFP)

Economic analysts anticipate that Riyadh’s successful bid to host the Expo 2030 world fair will catalyze a significant boost in Saudi Arabia’s economy, contributing approximately $50 billion.

This triumph is expected to attract foreign investments and foster prosperity and growth across various vital economic sectors in the Kingdom.

Among these sectors are aviation, transportation, real estate, housing, communications, logistics, retail, hotels, hospitality, and tourism.

The exhibition is poised to provide a substantial opportunity for both local and international companies to attract foreign investments.

Mohammed bin Dleim Al-Qahtani, an economics professor at King Faisal University, shared his insights with Asharq Al-Awsat, predicting that organizing the fair will enhance Saudi Arabia’s economic activities by around $50 billion.

This, in turn, will drive development in several crucial and vibrant economic sectors, affirmed Al-Qahtani.

The exhibition’s revenues, according to Al-Qahtani, will be distributed across various sectors: restaurants and hotels (approximately $5 billion), contracting ($11.5 billion), business services and event organization ($28 billion), and small project expenditures ($5.5 billion).

Furthermore, the world fair is expected to create approximately 60,000 jobs annually until the exhibition date, with a total estimated employment reaching 420,000 positions.

In Al-Qahtani’s opinion, the success of hosting Expo 2030 is set to enhance Saudi Arabia’s global image as a leader in hosting international events, fostering global communication, travel, and tourism.

This achievement is expected to bolster the Kingdom’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by more than 2.5%, propel key sectors outlined in “Vision 2030” forward, attract over 50 million visitors during the exhibition's duration, stimulate real estate growth, catalyze long-term investments, and significantly support the knowledge-based economy.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Mokni, a financial and investment expert and the CEO of “Ethmar,” a company owned by Imam Mohammed bin Saud University in Saudi Arabia, described Riyadh's win in hosting the exhibition as a testament to the Kingdom’s global stature.

Mokni emphasized the world's confidence in Saudi Arabia’s ability to organize this major global event, where it competes with leading nations in providing grand venues, superior services, infrastructure, and logistical aspects, as well as financial readiness.

The CEO highlighted that the Saudi bid considered all these facets, showcasing exceptional hosting capabilities from the first round of voting, leading to this exceptional victory.

Mokni further stated that this victory serves as international recognition of the Kingdom’s success in implementing its developmental plans and projects stemming from “Vision 2030,” initiated in 2015.

It also reflects the economic and political strength, resilience, and capability of Saudi Arabia, stressed Mokni.

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Copper Crawls Higher on Softer Dollar and Supply Issues

FILE PHOTO: A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at the Wellascent factory in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at the Wellascent factory in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
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Copper Crawls Higher on Softer Dollar and Supply Issues

FILE PHOTO: A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at the Wellascent factory in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at the Wellascent factory in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo

Copper prices edged higher on Friday, supported by a weaker dollar and supply issues, but gains were modest due to worries about high oil prices hitting demand.

Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose 0.5% to $14,319 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading. That marked a decline of 2% since the end of last week.

"Metals have seen light turnover again so far this session with copper finding some support with a slightly softer dollar, but the broader tone remains cautious," Neil Welsh, head of metals at broker Britannia Global Markets, said in a note.

"High energy costs stemming from the ⁠ongoing US-Iran conflict and ⁠signs of industrial weakness in China have weighed on sentiment across the complex."

The dollar index hit its strongest in 17 months this week, but weakened on Friday, making commodities priced in the US currency cheaper for buyers using other currencies.

LME copper has gained 16% over the past six months, largely due to a large shift in ⁠inventories to the US attracted by the prospect of tariffs there, creating shortages elsewhere.

Stocks in warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange <CU-STX-SGH> have slumped by 79% over the past four months to 38,744 tons, their lowest since January 2024.

The SHFE was closed for China's National Day and will reopen on October 8.

The prospect of less output in the world's largest copper producer Chile has also underpinned the market, with data on Wednesday showing production fell 12.8% year-on-year in August.

Supervisors at Chile's Escondida copper mine, the world's largest, rejected a collective ⁠contract offer, ⁠paving the way for a potential strike and adding to supply fears.

"This adds to an overall slump in output, as the industry struggles to maintain aging infrastructure amid difficult operating conditions," Reuters quoted Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, as saying in a note.

Among other metals, LME aluminium dipped 0.1% in official activity to $3,121.50 a ton and nickel also shed 0.1% to $15,620.

Zinc rose 0.2% to $3,732.50, lead ticked 0.3% higher to $1,863 and tin was little changed at $54,350.

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Eurozone Inflation Hits Three-year High at 3.8% in September

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) is pictured outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) is pictured outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
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Eurozone Inflation Hits Three-year High at 3.8% in September

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) is pictured outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the European Central Bank (ECB) is pictured outside its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, April 26, 2018. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File Photo

Eurozone inflation jumped to 3.8 percent in September, the highest level in three years, as the war in the Middle East fueled a surge in energy costs, official data showed Friday.

The figure for the 21-country euro area was up sharply from 3.2 percent in August and remains well above the European Central Bank's two-percent target, raising the likelihood of another interest rate increase.

The September reading published by the statistical office of the European Union was slightly higher than the 3.7 percent forecast by economists for Bloomberg.

As the US war against Iran drags on, the conflict has caused major disruptions to fuel supplies from the Middle East, including from the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy trade route.

Energy price increases surged to 18.8 percent in September, up from 14.3 percent a month earlier, AFP quoted Eurostat as saying.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile energy and food prices, rose to 2.5 percent last month from 2.4 percent in August.

Meanwhile, food and drinks inflation increased to 1.4 percent from 1.1 percent in August.

Eurozone inflation was last above 3.8 percent in September 2023, when it stood at 4.3 percent.

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World Food Prices Near Four-year High in September

A street food vendor pushes a cart along the road in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
A street food vendor pushes a cart along the road in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
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World Food Prices Near Four-year High in September

A street food vendor pushes a cart along the road in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
A street food vendor pushes a cart along the road in Ho Chi Minh City on October 2, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

World food prices rose in September to their highest in nearly four years as logistics disruptions and weather concerns affected crop markets, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said.

Fears about a severe El Nino weather pattern have pushed international sugar prices to an 18-month high, while a war-related collapse in Black Sea trade pushed wheat futures to a three-year peak early last month.

The FAO ⁠Food Price Index, ⁠which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of food commodities, averaged 136.0 points, up from a revised 134.0 for August and the highest reading since November 2022.

FAO's benchmarks for cereal, sugar and vegetable oil ⁠prices all rose last month, though meat and dairy quotations fell.

“We are seeing a persistent and increasingly broad-based build up in global commodity prices, as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea combine with climate shocks, putting pressure on energy, transport and key food commodities,” FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said, according to Reuters.

“If sustained, these pressures will soon pass through to consumer food ⁠prices, especially ⁠in food and energy import-dependent countries,” he said in a statement.

In a separate report, FAO kept its forecast for global cereal production in 2026 almost unchanged at 2.979 billion metric tons, 2.1% below the previous year's peak but still the second-largest harvest on record.

FAO cut its forecast for world cereal trade in 2026/27 by 0.7% from September, citing lower wheat and maize export expectations due largely to constrained Black Sea shipping routes.