US-Saudi Business Council Hosts High-Level Investment Event

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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US-Saudi Business Council Hosts High-Level Investment Event

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The US-Saudi Business Council, in collaboration with the White House and the US Department of Commerce, hosted a high-level investment event on Friday in Washington.
The event was held in preparation for the upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the economic partnership between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency said Saturday.
The event was attended by senior executives from more than 50 American companies, alongside a high-level Saudi delegation that included officials from over 10 ministries, government agencies, and private-sector companies. The gathering provided a valuable opportunity for dialogue and the exchange of perspectives on the prospects for bilateral cooperation.
Representatives from the US Department of Commerce and the US-Saudi Business Council presented strategic visions and key topics focused on supporting trade and investment relations between both sides.
Participants discussed cooperation opportunities in sectors vital to both economies, including digitalization and artificial intelligence, mining and minerals, innovation in the energy sector, and the development of cross-border trade and investment.
Bilateral meetings between representatives of American companies and the Saudi delegation offered platforms to explore market trends and strengthen direct business relations.
The event reflected the shared commitment of both countries to advance economic cooperation to deeper levels and highlights the pivotal role of the US-Saudi Business Council in building bridges between the public and private sectors in both Saudi Arabia and the United States.



Iraqi Oil Production Collapses as Hormuz Still Blocked by US-Iran War, Sources Say

Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
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Iraqi Oil Production Collapses as Hormuz Still Blocked by US-Iran War, Sources Say

Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)
Pumping station at the end of the Druzhba oil pipeline in Schwedt, Germany (AP)

Iraqi oil production from its main southern oilfields has fallen by 70% to just 1.3 million barrels per day as the country is unable to export oil via the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war, 3 industry sources said on Sunday.

According to Reuters, production from the fields stood at around 4.3 million bpd before the war.


Egyptian Pound Hits Record Low as Mideast War Roils Markets

One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
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Egyptian Pound Hits Record Low as Mideast War Roils Markets

One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)
One of the ATMs in downtown Cairo, the Egyptian capital (AFP)

Egypt's currency fell to a record low, trading at over 52 to the US dollar on Sunday, as the economic fallout of the war in the Middle East hits the region's most populous country.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has expanded across the Gulf and beyond, upending global energy markets and trade, and virtually halting traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil travels.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week warned that the country was in a "state of near-emergency", warning of renewed inflationary pressures.

Despite Egypt not having been directly hit by the war, the fighting has nonetheless pushed some shipping companies away from its Suez Canal, a key source of foreign currency.

Egypt's import-dependent economy has proved highly sensitive to currency fluctuations in the past.

Inflation -- 11.9 percent in January -- peaked at nearly 40 percent in August 2023, on the back of a punishing economic crisis that has since eased, thanks in part to an over $50 billion bailout.


Saudi Index Extends Gains

An investor monitors the Saudi stocks (AFP)
An investor monitors the Saudi stocks (AFP)
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Saudi Index Extends Gains

An investor monitors the Saudi stocks (AFP)
An investor monitors the Saudi stocks (AFP)

Most Gulf stock markets rose in early trade on Sunday, with the Saudi index extending gains to a fifth session.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index .TASI climbed 2%, with all of its constituents posting gains, led by energy and materials stocks.

Saudi Aramco advanced 4% and Yanbu National Petrochemical surged 10%.

The Qatari benchmark .QSI rose 0.1%, with Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding gaining 5.3% and telecommunications company Ooredoo adding 2.1%.

In Muscat, ⁠the ⁠share index .MSX30 was up 1.4% and Bahrain's index .BAX edged up 0.2%.

Kuwait's index .BKP eased 0.5%, with most stocks in negative territory.

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation began cutting oil output on Saturday and declared force majeure, adding to earlier oil and gas reductions from Iraq and Qatar as the US-Iran war blocked shipments from the Middle East for the eighth consecutive day.