Saudi Wealth Fund Signs $50 bln of Deals with Chinese Financial Firms

Saudi Wealth Fund Signs $50 bln of Deals with Chinese Financial Firms
TT

Saudi Wealth Fund Signs $50 bln of Deals with Chinese Financial Firms

Saudi Wealth Fund Signs $50 bln of Deals with Chinese Financial Firms

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF has signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth a total of $50 billion with leading Chinese financial institutions, the fund said in a statement on Thursday.

The MoUs were signed with Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), Bank of China (BoC), China Construction Bank (CCB), China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the statement added, Reuters reported.

PIF said the MoUs covered areas of cooperation such as encouraging two-way capital flows via both debt and equity.

One of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has a sprawling portfolio of investments, from date farms to multinational conglomerates.

The kingdom's ambitious Vision 2030 plan aims to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels to develop a vibrant private sector.

China said in July it was ready to deepen cooperation in infrastructure, energy resources, green development and the digital economy, and welcomed Saudi companies such as its sovereign wealth funds and oil giant Aramco to continue to "take root" in China.



Gold Gains on Fed Rate Cut Hopes

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
TT

Gold Gains on Fed Rate Cut Hopes

Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo
Gold bars from the vault of a bank are seen in this illustration picture taken in Zurich November 20, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

Gold prices rose on Thursday on expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut next week, while palladium hit its highest in more than two months due to supply concerns from top producer Russia.
Spot gold was up 0.3% at $2,517.88 per ounce by 0942 GMT, supported by the 21-day moving average at $2,505, Reuters reported.
US consumer prices rose marginally in August, but underlying inflation signaled some stickiness, which could result in the Fed delivering a smaller 25-basis-point cut at its meeting next week.
"Judging by gold's reaction to the latest US inflation data, it seems as if today's expectations of moderately lower US interest rates are sufficient to support prices around current levels of $2,500 per ounce at least in the short term," said Carsten Menke, an analyst at Julius Baer.
Traders are waiting for the US Producer Price Index (PPI) for August, the initial jobless claims print due later today and the consumer sentiment data on Friday for more clues on the Fed's path.
Palladium gained 0.6% to $1,014 per ounce. It earlier hit $1,030.68, the highest since July 8, on supply concerns after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that Moscow should consider limiting exports of uranium, titanium and nickel.
"Palladium is the market that is up for a short-covering rally. Putin did not mention palladium. But since the metal is a by-product of Russian nickel production, such export curbs could drive down production of both metals and deepen the current deficit in the palladium market," said WisdomTree commodity strategist Nitesh Shah.
Russia's Nornickel is the world's largest producer of palladium and a major producer of platinum, accounting for 41% and 12% of global mining output, respectively.
Spot silver added 0.4% to $28.81 and platinum gained 0.3% to $953.79.