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Oil Dips on Worries China Stimulus Plans Not Enough to Boost Demand

FILE PHOTO: The PetroChina logo is seen near a car charging at the Chinese state oil giant's electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Beijing, China February 2, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The PetroChina logo is seen near a car charging at the Chinese state oil giant's electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Beijing, China February 2, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
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Oil Dips on Worries China Stimulus Plans Not Enough to Boost Demand

FILE PHOTO: The PetroChina logo is seen near a car charging at the Chinese state oil giant's electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Beijing, China February 2, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The PetroChina logo is seen near a car charging at the Chinese state oil giant's electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Beijing, China February 2, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo

Oil prices fell on Wednesday as investors reassessed the ability of China's stimulus plans to boost the economy enough to drive more fuel demand growth in the world's largest crude importer.
Brent crude futures were down 19 cents, or 0.25%, at $74.98 a barrel at 0700 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 28 cents, or 0.39%, at $71.28 per barrel, Reuters reported.
Prices rose about 1.7% on Tuesday after China announced its most aggressive economic stimulus since the COVID-19 pandemic, with interest rate cuts and government funding.
Analysts, however, warned that more fiscal help was needed to boost confidence in the world's second-largest economy and that eroded the initial impact on oil prices.
"The lack of a more concrete fiscal approach still instils some reservations over whether the economic boost can be sustained," said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
Yeap said there was an overall lack of traction to the oil market, with trades lower than usual, which was likely also due to a drop in US consumer confidence. It fell in September to its lowest in three years, with particular concern about the availability of jobs.
Still, declining US crude oil and fuel stockpiles provided some support for the market, which has generally risen since prices hit their lowest since 2021 on Sept. 10.
US oil stockpiles dropped by 4.34 million barrels last week while gasoline inventories fell by 3.44 million barrels and distillate stocks fell by 1.12 million barrels, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.
An intensifying conflict in the Middle East between Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel also supported crude prices, with cross-border rockets launched by both sides increasing fears of a broadening war in the key producing region.
A hurricane threatening the US Gulf Coast has changed course towards Florida and away from oil and gas-producing areas near Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Saudi Arabia's Digital Advertising Boom: Addressing Economic Leakage, Boosting Local Content

A digital advertising event recently held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A digital advertising event recently held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia's Digital Advertising Boom: Addressing Economic Leakage, Boosting Local Content

A digital advertising event recently held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A digital advertising event recently held in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s digital advertising sector is experiencing rapid growth, but a significant portion of its revenues is leaking to foreign platforms. To maximize the impact on the national economy, experts are calling for strategies to curb this outflow and redirect it to local channels.

The importance of retaining digital ad revenues lies in the substantial size of this market. It is estimated that approximately $1 billion in ad spent is lost annually to foreign platforms, representing a considerable loss to Saudi Arabia’s economy.

Dr. Ebada Al-Abbad, CEO of Marketing and Communications at Tadafuq, a Saudi digital advertising network, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the problem stems from the fact that although advertisers, products, and audiences are often local, the largest share of financial gains goes to foreign platforms. He estimated that 70-80% of the $1.5 billion spent on digital advertising in Saudi Arabia in 2022 went to global platforms such as Google and Facebook. This results in the national economy losing nearly $1 billion annually from this sector alone.

Al-Abbad noted that government agencies in Saudi Arabia also contribute to the outflow. He explained that public sector spending on digital advertising, intended to raise awareness among citizens and residents, frequently ends up on foreign platforms. Government spending makes up about 20-25% of the total digital ad market in the Kingdom, meaning hundreds of millions of riyals leave the country annually, weakening the local digital economy.

Al-Abbad argues that Saudi Arabia needs strong local digital ad networks to keep this revenue within the national economy. These networks would help create jobs, drive innovation, and promote cultural diversity in digital content. Developing local platforms would also enhance Saudi Arabia’s digital sovereignty by ensuring that data remains within the country and is not controlled by foreign entities.

Moreover, local networks would reduce dependence on international platforms, ensuring that the economic benefits of digital advertising remain in the Kingdom, he said, stressing that this would align with Saudi Arabia’s broader Vision 2030 goals, which emphasize building a robust, diversified economy driven by local industries and digital transformation.

Globally, the digital advertising sector is growing rapidly. In 2022, worldwide spending on digital ads reached $602 billion, and it is projected to hit $876 billion by 2026. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the digital ad market grew to $5.9 billion in 2022, with Saudi Arabia’s market accounting for over $1.5 billion.

In other countries, the digital ad sector plays a crucial role in boosting national economies. For example, in the United States, the digital advertising industry contributed $460 billion to the GDP in 2021, about 2.1% of the total. In the UK, the sector accounted for 1.8% of GDP in 2022. This shows how important digital advertising can be in driving economic growth.

One of the key challenges facing Saudi Arabia’s digital ad sector is the dominance of global platforms like Google and Facebook, which control 60% of the global digital ad market, Al-Abbad told Asharq Al-Awsat. This dominance results in a significant outflow of revenue and allows these platforms to control digital data and content. He warned that this could undermine Saudi Arabia’s national sovereignty over its digital economy.

To counter this, he emphasized that Saudi Arabia needs to build competitive local networks that can retain a larger share of the market. This will not only keep more revenue in the country but also strengthen the Kingdom’s control over its digital data and content.